Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

motan · 25th February 2020, 08:32 AM

Hi,
I know practically nothing about swords and I respect all the expert opinions on this thread, but still, I want to suggest a different idea.
What if this sword is Syrian/Ottoman in its entirety?
I do not see anything to suggest that parts were made in different periods or places, rather than the discrepancy between the quality of the wootz and the quality of the sword as a whole.
Both the hilt and the blade, as well as the koftgari look Syrian and not Persian to me, mostly because of the lower quality of work. The reason it does not resemble other examples of Ottoman/Badawi swords made in Syria could be that it is simply older than most, which are typically late 19th c and re-hilted blades of different origins. The blade could be made from Indian wootz or from any other wootz blade which was re-worked extensively.
This is purely a hunch, but I thought it might be worth writing.

25th February 2020, 08:32 AM	#17
motan Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Jerusalem Posts: 274	What if? Hi, I know practically nothing about swords and I respect all the expert opinions on this thread, but still, I want to suggest a different idea. What if this sword is Syrian/Ottoman in its entirety? I do not see anything to suggest that parts were made in different periods or places, rather than the discrepancy between the quality of the wootz and the quality of the sword as a whole. Both the hilt and the blade, as well as the koftgari look Syrian and not Persian to me, mostly because of the lower quality of work. The reason it does not resemble other examples of Ottoman/Badawi swords made in Syria could be that it is simply older than most, which are typically late 19th c and re-hilted blades of different origins. The blade could be made from Indian wootz or from any other wootz blade which was re-worked extensively. This is purely a hunch, but I thought it might be worth writing.