Hi Fenris,
The mounts on this 'nimcha' are fantastic! and the old European trade blade is intriguing. It is interesting that, as you note, such a worn blade would be placed in such sumptuous mounts. However, European blades were of course the much sought after standard, and were typically remounted numerous times over thier working life, which of course extends well into the 20th century.
I have gone through quite a number of resources concerning those markings, and have not yet been successful in finding the 'quatrefoil' arrangement of these presumably Spanish (Cross of Santiago) type crosses, along with the crescent moon. I have however found similar crosses in linear arrangement over a crescent moon, also on a similar European trade blade, and on a nimcha of the form attributed typically to trade between Zanzibar and Arabia (Yemen specifically).
It seems worthy of note here that the 'four crosses' in that arrangement is seen in the regalia of Moorish Spain, on the hilt of the sword of Boabdil (Abu 'abd Allah Muhammed XII) , the last Emir before the fall of the Moors there. The very ornate Hispano-Moresque hilt has four crosses in its motif surrounding the eight pointed Islamic star. Perhaps this motif may have some significance in what appear to be applied by local armourer in the Maghreb. It seems plausible that that arrangement might have been known through trade items coming in from Spain, and may have provided influence.
The reprofiling of the blade seems to be perhaps intended to approach the fine point of the Berber flyssa, and it would seem that reprofiling blades is a practice not unusual for Berber armourers. This of course recalls the sabres that have been attributed to Berbers in Morocco with the heavily profiled tips on old British M1796 light cavalry blades, although the case on that Moroccan attribution remains somewhat speculative.
Outstanding piece!!!
All the best,
Jim
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