Persian pala type blade with tulwar hilt

Jim McDougall · 18th February 2023, 10:51 PM

19th c. Bedouin Assad Allah, my collection, see:
"On the Persian Shamshir and the Signature of Assad Allah"
Oliver Pinchot, 2002

Persian trade late 18th through 19th.

As Nihl has pointed out, it is not a question of historical connection as the combining of either trade blades, heirloom or trophy blades was a very dynamic and regularly employed convention in most cultures. The character of the use of a given weapon was also relative, it may have been actively worn in combat situations, or of course worn as a status accoutrement in court or parade circumstances. All of these matters are typically speculative without exact provenance details.

In Oliver Pinchot's outstanding article he notes,
"The enormous demand for Persian blades both in Persia and abroad resulted in great increases in production at such centers as Khorasan, Qazrin and Isfahan in the late 18th and 19th c"

Further, "...Persian smiths reverted to producing an appreciably heavier and more complex type of blade replete with fullers, grooves and false edge, which had been popular prior to the reign of Abbas.".

"too, the familiar signature of Amali Assad Allah began to evolve into a simple pictogram representing a stylized lion contained within a circular cartouche".

Honestly, I have seen blades like on my Arabian saber on other types of swords including tulwars, piso podang and I believe many even on shashkas. .
I have not ever seen a 'pala' blade of this genre, but Ottoman influence was of course prevalent in Mughal courts, as well as Persian.

18th February 2023, 10:51 PM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,192	19th c. Bedouin Assad Allah, my collection, see: "On the Persian Shamshir and the Signature of Assad Allah" Oliver Pinchot, 2002 Persian trade late 18th through 19th. As Nihl has pointed out, it is not a question of historical connection as the combining of either trade blades, heirloom or trophy blades was a very dynamic and regularly employed convention in most cultures. The character of the use of a given weapon was also relative, it may have been actively worn in combat situations, or of course worn as a status accoutrement in court or parade circumstances. All of these matters are typically speculative without exact provenance details. In Oliver Pinchot's outstanding article he notes, "The enormous demand for Persian blades both in Persia and abroad resulted in great increases in production at such centers as Khorasan, Qazrin and Isfahan in the late 18th and 19th c" Further, "...Persian smiths reverted to producing an appreciably heavier and more complex type of blade replete with fullers, grooves and false edge, which had been popular prior to the reign of Abbas.". "too, the familiar signature of Amali Assad Allah began to evolve into a simple pictogram representing a stylized lion contained within a circular cartouche". Honestly, I have seen blades like on my Arabian saber on other types of swords including tulwars, piso podang and I believe many even on shashkas. . I have not ever seen a 'pala' blade of this genre, but Ottoman influence was of course prevalent in Mughal courts, as well as Persian. Attached Images Last edited by Jim McDougall; 19th February 2023 at 12:03 AM.