Kaskara for Comment.

[stephen wood]

Very interesting. this thread has the O+, the lion and the fly - all associated, along with the death's head, with the Solingen maker Peter Kull. I am very pleased that the O+ is called a drum - I had thought that either the O+ or the comet mark might be the one described thus.

Burckhardt (in the region 1812-15) records that the Nouba word for sword is fareynga, and dukari is said by Cabot-Briggs to mean the half-moon marks. If dukari/dukare meant simply a mark then dukare affringe would mean frankish mark...

...I think the tassels might be a fairly recent phenomenon - I have yet to see an old illustration showing them. I have seen older swords which have the remains of plaited leather sword knots, or in one case, silk. One of the most common types of sword (1930's onwards?) is actually made with a recess below the pommel to hold the tassel.

The copper drums mentioned were recorded by the (late great) David Fanshawe in the 1960's and can be found on the CD Music of the Nile.

[katana]

Thanks to Aris (Rumpel), I have contacted Durham University. Unfortunately they could not provide further information, but have sent me a very nice image of Ali Dinar's Kaskara and a fantastic example it is . I have requested permission to post the picture here and am waiting their response.

Kind Regards David

[VANDOO]

HERE ARE A COUPLE MORE TO THROW INTO THE POST PERHAPS SOMETHING CAN BE LEARNED FROM THE DESIGNS OR MARKS.
UNFORTUNATELY I HAVE THE PICTURES BUT NO FURTHER INFO. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH TAKEING PICTURES FROM THE INTERNET OFTEN THERE IS LITTLE INFO OR NOT ENOUGH ROOM TO WRITE IT AND ITS DATE AND SOURCE IN THE DESCRIPTION.

[katana]

Hi Vandoo,
very nice examples.....the lower Kaskara has ....well certainly looks like, the mark of the 'Lion of Judah'. Never seen this marking on a Kaskara before.... Ethiopian ??

Regards David

[stephen wood]

...yes it does look like the Moa Anbessa - Conquering Lion.

Have a look at this thread: one blade obviously Ethiopian, the other strongly possible.

An account of Addis Ababa in the late 19th century mentions:

"In the crowded corner devoted to the sword-sellers you may see a petty chief, with one or two trusty followers, testing the blade of the big, straight sword taken from the Dervishes, which will fetch as much as ten to fifteen dollars. Close by, other purchasers are examining the curve of an Ethiopian sword in its bright red scabbard, or perhaps choosing one from a pile of French blades made for the Ethiopian market. . . ."

The Ethiopian wall painting shows an Archangel with an interesting sword with the moon marking and a brass(?) hilt rather like the one posted.

The use of captured blades evidently worked both ways during the struggle between The Caliphate and Ethiopia.

[Edster]

Hi Vandoo,

That's a fine Kaskara. I have photographs of three swords in Shengiti Collection at the Univ. of Khartoum that have identical haft designs with the four diamonds. Field notes say they were made in the village of Wager on the Gash River that flows out of Ethiopia. Shengiti was a Sudanese scholar, statesman and jurist and the swords were gifts to him. I haven't been able to date his activity. Probably around Sudanese independence.

Another note says that Ehiopian swords have no lines or fullers in them, but have a (makers?) mark on them. Your photo has no lines, but those in the Shengiti have a scooped out fuller. I'm not convinced that Ethiopian swords havd no fullers or scoops. Some blades in Ethiopian were made in Europe and brought into Ethiopia by Italian troops during the colonial period.

Another note says that the man who etched moon faces and reclining lions on blades died in 1960. Unfortunately, my notes didn't focus on dating and origin of blades except in passing. Would have a different if I were there today.

A web site describes iron smelting in 2004 in a village in SE Ethiopia. No doubt the practice is very old. Perhaps Ethiopian swordsmiths used this iron to make steel and make proper sword blades. So much field work to do and so little time.

Best regards,
Edster

[katana]

Durham University have kindly given me permission to post Ali Dinar's Kaskara. This sword first mentioned by Aris (Rumpel). As you can see the diamond patterning is similar, but not so well executed,so perhaps suggests that my Kaskara might have links with Dinar's reign.

"...........This particular photo comes from our Treasures of Durham University Library book and the sword itself will form part of a Treasures exhibition in the library’s new Wolfson Hall which is due to open in January..."

Regards David


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