Ornate Caucasian Shashka ? with Motto - Any Info ?

[Tim Simmons]

I am now starting to think that this replacement handle is not that very old. I understand captured blades have always been used but why put an ugly handle on when the original would have been much better and comparable skills would have been around at the time for a replacement, this work is crude of it's type. I suppose it could have been damaged but the replacement is still not old and there is no scabbard. the more I look at this the more unsure I feel that it has any virtue. Tim