Yataghan for discussion.

serdar · 31st August 2025, 06:49 PM

Congrats on aquiring that nice pala.
My main focus in collecting are yataghan swords, especialy from balkan region, with emphasis on Dalmatian, Boka kotorska, Montenegro and Bosnia und Herzegovina region.

What you got there is a Pala big knife like it is called in this area, or Pala handžar.
Mainly and usualy pala is made from silver, and not like yours from black horn?(boka kotorska was a center of very good goldsmiths who made excuisit works in silver) and by that yours is more interesting, like for the yatagan origin, origin of first pala is unknown, but only examples i encountered and inherited from my ancestors are from on my language Primorje or Boka kotorska, and some in Albanian coast made, so it is a big chance pala originated there like their response on yatagans.

Some palas do have ottoman stamps some not, that is normal blade trade in boka at that time.

In Dubrovnik region and Dalmatia they made straight yatagans but with ears, but they never made pala type.

This kind, a Pala kind were made only in Boka kotorska and very rarely in Albania.

Your blade looks like blades from 15/16 century italian blades with triple marca de mosca, and it seems to me it had a fulers long ago that are filed, or it is patina that tricks me into thinking that.

All in all very nice and valuable piece you got ther.
Yatagans with old reused blades are very rare, and palas are even rarer.

About origin i would say maybe Bosnian? Or Albanian, i never encountered this type from turkey or other regions that were under ottomans, and handle pined construction and parazvana or blade colar is similar to one bosnian yataghan i had before, allso there were lot of italian blades in this region.

About age, palas were usualy made in the secon half of 18 century.

Il post few pictures, first of dalmatian yatagan, then of two palas from boka kotorska region, and two pictures from old books one from Croatia second from Bosnia.

serdar · 31st August 2025, 06:55 PM

Marks are not istanbul, those marks i encountered on few swords i got and they are proto schiavonesca types. 15/16 century, one is 14 century they got identical marks.

And age i would say dnd of 18 begining of 19 century.
But more i look at it more i would say it is made in Bosnia in Hercegovina region behind Risno, craftmanship is very very similar to one yatagan i encountered from that region.

Very nice! 😃👍🏻

serdar · 31st August 2025, 07:51 PM

About metal on the flag of the blade is bras, and on joint and around blade hašrma i think it is kositar or tin pewter in english some mix it is very comon on yatagans made in hercegovina region, and then it is silvered coated with thin silver layer.
I think it is chance 90% that it is tin then silvered, when it is full silver then parazvana is allso silver and it is made in diferent way.
But not 100% by photos.
Pins in the handle could also be tin.
On lots of yatagans those parts are cracked thin becomes very britle with time.
On yours it is in very good shape, if it is tin.
But it isnt important which metal it is, it is very nice and valuable piece.

serdar · 31st August 2025, 08:40 PM

This example with dark horn ears is from dalmatian back lands, it has a tin pewter alloy parazvana and hašrma on which is layered thin a very thin piece of silver sheet, it is not silvered but very thin silver sheet.
And a caracteristic of dalmatian and boka kotorska yatagans is a very short and straight parazvana piece on the flag of the blade.

31st August 2025, 06:49 PM	#1
serdar Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Posts: 171	Congrats on aquiring that nice pala. My main focus in collecting are yataghan swords, especialy from balkan region, with emphasis on Dalmatian, Boka kotorska, Montenegro and Bosnia und Herzegovina region. What you got there is a Pala big knife like it is called in this area, or Pala handžar. Mainly and usualy pala is made from silver, and not like yours from black horn?(boka kotorska was a center of very good goldsmiths who made excuisit works in silver) and by that yours is more interesting, like for the yatagan origin, origin of first pala is unknown, but only examples i encountered and inherited from my ancestors are from on my language Primorje or Boka kotorska, and some in Albanian coast made, so it is a big chance pala originated there like their response on yatagans. Some palas do have ottoman stamps some not, that is normal blade trade in boka at that time. In Dubrovnik region and Dalmatia they made straight yatagans but with ears, but they never made pala type. This kind, a Pala kind were made only in Boka kotorska and very rarely in Albania. Your blade looks like blades from 15/16 century italian blades with triple marca de mosca, and it seems to me it had a fulers long ago that are filed, or it is patina that tricks me into thinking that. All in all very nice and valuable piece you got ther. Yatagans with old reused blades are very rare, and palas are even rarer. About origin i would say maybe Bosnian? Or Albanian, i never encountered this type from turkey or other regions that were under ottomans, and handle pined construction and parazvana or blade colar is similar to one bosnian yataghan i had before, allso there were lot of italian blades in this region. About age, palas were usualy made in the secon half of 18 century. Il post few pictures, first of dalmatian yatagan, then of two palas from boka kotorska region, and two pictures from old books one from Croatia second from Bosnia. Attached Images

31st August 2025, 08:40 PM	#4
serdar Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Posts: 171	This example with dark horn ears is from dalmatian back lands, it has a tin pewter alloy parazvana and hašrma on which is layered thin a very thin piece of silver sheet, it is not silvered but very thin silver sheet. And a caracteristic of dalmatian and boka kotorska yatagans is a very short and straight parazvana piece on the flag of the blade. Attached Images

31st August 2025, 06:55 PM	#2
serdar Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Posts: 171	Marks are not istanbul, those marks i encountered on few swords i got and they are proto schiavonesca types. 15/16 century, one is 14 century they got identical marks. And age i would say dnd of 18 begining of 19 century. But more i look at it more i would say it is made in Bosnia in Hercegovina region behind Risno, craftmanship is very very similar to one yatagan i encountered from that region. Very nice! 😃👍🏻

31st August 2025, 07:51 PM	#3
serdar Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Posts: 171	About metal on the flag of the blade is bras, and on joint and around blade hašrma i think it is kositar or tin pewter in english some mix it is very comon on yatagans made in hercegovina region, and then it is silvered coated with thin silver layer. I think it is chance 90% that it is tin then silvered, when it is full silver then parazvana is allso silver and it is made in diferent way. But not 100% by photos. Pins in the handle could also be tin. On lots of yatagans those parts are cracked thin becomes very britle with time. On yours it is in very good shape, if it is tin. But it isnt important which metal it is, it is very nice and valuable piece.