Dear Ann,
This is long overdue!
Yataghans are fascinating weapons with very little documented information behind them, We do not even know what was the reason for their popularity in the Ottoman Empire or the style of fighting with them. The oldest known yataghans ( Topkapi, Met) bear very tenuous resemblance to the classic form, the origin of their distinctive eared handle is obscure, the connection ( if any!) with Afgani Salawar Yataghans or Central Asian ( Bukhara Khanate, Afghanistan) "pseudo-shashkas" is totally unknown.
This is an incredibly important chapter in the study of bladed weapons, and up until now it was limited just to the description of museum collections without any unified theory behind it.
It is a high time for the professionals in the field to join hands in an attempt to figure out what is going on with this fascinating weapon.
I am sure that whatever help you might need, the Forumites will be only happy to provide.
Best of luck to you and your colleagues!
|