Assistance in translating an inscription on a yataghan.

Battara · 31st May 2020, 06:56 PM

I agree Kubur, this is not koftgari but true silver inlay on the blade.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but koftgari was more often on Balkan pieces and inlays more often on pieces from Turkey, right?

kwiatek · 5th June 2020, 11:03 PM

It’s inscribed with the name of the owner, though this is crudely written and I have a hard time guessing what it might be. A guess is “Mikha’il” but I’m very far from sure.

صاحبه ومالك ملل حيل(ميخائيل ؟) ١٢٧٥

“It’s owner and the possessor... (Mikha’il?) 1275 (1858-9)”

The rest are the names of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus and their dog:

“Yamliha, Maksalina, Mislina, Marnush, Dabarnush, Shazanush, Kafashtatayyush, Qitmir”

OsobistGB · 7th June 2020, 09:09 PM

Fantastic job , kwiatek !!!
Thanks a lot for the translation!According to the inscription, it is possible that it was owned by a christian?
The name "Mikhail" is slavic and the "Seven Sleepers of Ephesus" are Christian symbols if I'm not mistaken?

kwiatek · 7th June 2020, 11:02 PM

A pleasure. I’m really far from sure about the reading of the name as “Mikha’il”. It’s very unclear what it is, I probably shouldn’t have suggested anything. The Seven Sleepers are an Islamic tradition too, they’re in the Qur’an as the Ashab al-Kahf (the People of the Cave). Though the story had it’s origin in Christian martyrology, I’m not sure how important or well-known it continued to be in Christian tradition in fact

31st May 2020, 06:56 PM	#1
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,282	I agree Kubur, this is not koftgari but true silver inlay on the blade. Correct me if I'm wrong, but koftgari was more often on Balkan pieces and inlays more often on pieces from Turkey, right?

5th June 2020, 11:03 PM	#2
kwiatek Member Join Date: May 2019 Posts: 156	It’s inscribed with the name of the owner, though this is crudely written and I have a hard time guessing what it might be. A guess is “Mikha’il” but I’m very far from sure. صاحبه ومالك ملل حيل(ميخائيل ؟) ١٢٧٥ “It’s owner and the possessor... (Mikha’il?) 1275 (1858-9)” The rest are the names of the Seven Sleepers of Ephesus and their dog: “Yamliha, Maksalina, Mislina, Marnush, Dabarnush, Shazanush, Kafashtatayyush, Qitmir”

7th June 2020, 09:09 PM	#3
OsobistGB Member Join Date: Feb 2017 Posts: 95	Fantastic job , kwiatek !!! Thanks a lot for the translation!According to the inscription, it is possible that it was owned by a christian? The name "Mikhail" is slavic and the "Seven Sleepers of Ephesus" are Christian symbols if I'm not mistaken?

7th June 2020, 11:02 PM	#4
kwiatek Member Join Date: May 2019 Posts: 156	A pleasure. I’m really far from sure about the reading of the name as “Mikha’il”. It’s very unclear what it is, I probably shouldn’t have suggested anything. The Seven Sleepers are an Islamic tradition too, they’re in the Qur’an as the Ashab al-Kahf (the People of the Cave). Though the story had it’s origin in Christian martyrology, I’m not sure how important or well-known it continued to be in Christian tradition in fact