Pala - translation on the blade

ariel · 16th March 2019, 04:12 PM

Kubur,
There are two points on which we all agree:
1. This is an Ottoman Pala
2. It is genuinely old, likely 19 century.

But the problem is that in the absence of place of manufacture indicated within the inscription we cannot pinpoint its origin. Ottoman Empire was an early model of small scale “globalization”: there were several foci of mass production of blades of uniform design and distribution across the land: Anatolia proper, adjacent Syria, Bosnia, Bulgaria. We can in some cases pinpoint the origin of the entire weapons: Zeibek yataghans or Bulgarian karakulaks. More often, we can attribute them by the handle: yataghans with Karabela-like handles hint at North Africa, with thinnish rounded ears suggest Greece, with smooth round coral indicate Foca etc.

Palas are significantly more homogeneous: same blade contour, same handle and scabbard, same inscriptions with “ master/owner” having uniformly Muslim names, “Ali/Zulfiqar”, “seven sleepers”, same symbols. Perhaps, only contoured grips ( finger stalls) can swing the likelihood to Balkan origin. Bektashism and Shia/Sunni divide play no role.

Manner of blade inscription had always been very confusing and here we have to utilize our individual “gut feeling”. Alex and myself tilt toward Syria, you tilt toward the Balkans. I just do not see a way for any of us to be certain about the origin of this Pala, and that was the gist of my comments. We can only cast doubt on the validity of our opponent’s arguments but cannot bring up the decisive one in favor of our position. Either of our attributions can be correct, but we just cannot prove it.

Perhaps, we can leave it at that?

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16th March 2019, 04:12 PM	#23
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Kubur, There are two points on which we all agree: 1. This is an Ottoman Pala 2. It is genuinely old, likely 19 century. But the problem is that in the absence of place of manufacture indicated within the inscription we cannot pinpoint its origin. Ottoman Empire was an early model of small scale “globalization”: there were several foci of mass production of blades of uniform design and distribution across the land: Anatolia proper, adjacent Syria, Bosnia, Bulgaria. We can in some cases pinpoint the origin of the entire weapons: Zeibek yataghans or Bulgarian karakulaks. More often, we can attribute them by the handle: yataghans with Karabela-like handles hint at North Africa, with thinnish rounded ears suggest Greece, with smooth round coral indicate Foca etc. Palas are significantly more homogeneous: same blade contour, same handle and scabbard, same inscriptions with “ master/owner” having uniformly Muslim names, “Ali/Zulfiqar”, “seven sleepers”, same symbols. Perhaps, only contoured grips ( finger stalls) can swing the likelihood to Balkan origin. Bektashism and Shia/Sunni divide play no role. Manner of blade inscription had always been very confusing and here we have to utilize our individual “gut feeling”. Alex and myself tilt toward Syria, you tilt toward the Balkans. I just do not see a way for any of us to be certain about the origin of this Pala, and that was the gist of my comments. We can only cast doubt on the validity of our opponent’s arguments but cannot bring up the decisive one in favor of our position. Either of our attributions can be correct, but we just cannot prove it. Perhaps, we can leave it at that?