Moroccan Saif with a British (?) Hanger Blade

[TVV]

Kubur,

Very nice, thank you as well for adding another example, this one with the Samuel Harvey marking. It seems plausible that a number of British hangers, probably after becoming surplus, made it to the Maghreb and where subsequently rehilted according to local tastes.

Jim,

Thank you for your notes. To make matters complicated, I believe there is a distinct version of these hilts that was used in Zanzibar and the Omani Eastern African possessions. In fact, on p. 237 of his book, Hales shows a photograph of the Vizier of the Comoros (not formally part of the Omani Empire, but under heavy Omani influence via Zanzibar) where the Vizier's guards have swords with hilts like the one I am attaching from Oriental Arms sold archive.

I believe that in other threads it has been shown that the version with two of the quillons forming a D-ring is also Omani/Zanzibari. If you look at hilt form alone, there is also similarity to saifs from Southern Yemen, many of which may have been produced all the way in India and exported to Yemen.

There is a connection, somehow, between these hilts from opposite costs of Africa, but it might be better served in another thread.

Regards,
Teodor