That is an interesting question Dave, and actually India did play a part in some degree in weapons and blades which entered the Red Sea trade and I believe came into the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan and environs through various entrepots . However, in these cases the blades were typically European which had filtered through their trade routes as far as I have understood.
It must be remembered that these type broadsword blades did not correspond to any weapon form used in India, and India did not produce blades for export, again as far as I have known. It does seen that other anomalies such as backsword blades, European cavalry types, have occasionally appeared on kaskara, a match which does see to strongly suggest India as these kinds of blades occur on firangi's.
Conversely, I have seen kaskara type blades on Indian pata, again, usually European types (three center fullers) and by the same token, North African smiths did not produce for export.
You say you have two of these Damascus blades! That may be key to further research on these blades and it would be excellent if you could get some better images (though what you have furnished is good). If you could get the two fully described as far as fullering etc.and dimensions (again, as you have already nicely done on this one).
I would offer this, I have seen another curiosity, which is a short saber and mounted in a brass Ottoman style hilt with deeply embossed lozenge pattern
crosshatch overall. The guard is with Ottoman style crossguard but with distinctly 'kaskara' form langet. It is mounted in the Sudanese style with flared tip scabbard . Most importantly, the steel in the blade I believe was referred to as something termed 'Turkish beyez(?) ' and was some type of patterned steel . If there were Ottoman smiths producing such hybrid items, probably during the 'Condominium' , where French as well as of course the British were occupiers post Omdurman, it would seem an ideal context for such a blade. Further, the application of these French occult oriented images would seem more plausibly situated.
I hope we will see Chris and Iain join in here as their concentrated and advanced studies and research on these arms may have better answers.
In any case, than you so much for posting this, and the opportunity to look deeper into this unusual example.
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