Kattara for comments

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Michael Blalock

Attached are some close-ups of the three marks on this blade.
While taking these I realized that this is not a stiff blade.

Salaams Michael,
Nice pictures thanks. I can see a series of marks at the throat below the cross which could indicate a date? Or they could be accidental.

When you say not stiff ... does the blade flex through 90 degrees easily or are we looking at a fairly rigid example as at # 1 ?

Are these orb and cross Peter Cull marks without the orb... or fake strikes? I mean "copied strikes" as fake is a bit steep. On the other hand are these cross strikes not simply part of a bigger insignia that didn't get completed such as the tower mark which does seem to have a similar tool mark in its foundations?

The tower mark looks familiar..There is a full tower mark at #84 and the cross marks look identical to the # 1. I wonder however, if in fact, the tower mark on your sword is a variation on the God is Great insignia as a representative piece of calligraphy(albeit with mallet and chisel)

Regards Ibrahiim