New artifact: Falcata? Shamshir? Karabela?

ham · 24th August 2005, 11:18 PM

Gentlemen,
For reasons I have never been able to establish, Turkish museums and collectors refer to these as policeman's yatagans. This is a typical example: broad, straight ears, long blade of sinuous form and relatively even curvature with abbreviated reinforces at the forte. Have seen one or two with pattern-welded blades as well. They are rarely elaborately mounted.

Sincerely,

Ham

ariel · 25th August 2005, 03:48 AM

This simple yataghan is likely to come from Eastern Anatolia or neaby lands that were formerly a part of the Ottoman Empire: Syria, Western Iraq etc. For some reasons, they favoured T-handled Yataghans, just like the Balkan nations prefered Yataghans with massive and elaborate ivory/horn grips and corals. Yataghans from Turkey proper mostly had rather small ears and Greeks liked handles with indentations for fingers.
De gustibus non disputandum (no arguing about the taste).

24th August 2005, 11:18 PM	#1
ham Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 190	Gentlemen, For reasons I have never been able to establish, Turkish museums and collectors refer to these as policeman's yatagans. This is a typical example: broad, straight ears, long blade of sinuous form and relatively even curvature with abbreviated reinforces at the forte. Have seen one or two with pattern-welded blades as well. They are rarely elaborately mounted. Sincerely, Ham

25th August 2005, 03:48 AM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	This simple yataghan is likely to come from Eastern Anatolia or neaby lands that were formerly a part of the Ottoman Empire: Syria, Western Iraq etc. For some reasons, they favoured T-handled Yataghans, just like the Balkan nations prefered Yataghans with massive and elaborate ivory/horn grips and corals. Yataghans from Turkey proper mostly had rather small ears and Greeks liked handles with indentations for fingers. De gustibus non disputandum (no arguing about the taste).