Unsure of Kasakara's age

Pertinax · 11th September 2025, 07:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Edster

Yuri,

I agree with your Kassala attribution. I know nothing re the maker's mark. Note the Beja/Hadendawa tassel below the pommel.

The cross guard shows what are likely incomplete forge welds on the bottom as well as the end of one of the cross pieces. Check to see if the bottom langets look to be bent to shape instead of welded in place. If the above are the case then the cross guard was bent to shape from a flat piece as I noted in the Cross Guard essay and was "invented" c. 1945 in Kassala. Thus, your kaskara took its current form post 1945. I collected one very much like it when I was there in the mid-80s. It's foto is in the essay and shows a noted incomplete cross guard forge weld.

Best regards,
Ed

Many thanks to Edster.

You are absolutely right, here is a photo of the crosspiece.

Respectfully,
Yuri

Jim McDougall · 11th September 2025, 08:05 PM

Thanks Ed, I remember that discussion, and I was trying to find out if there was any instance of paired moons used in European context. As seen, there were a few cases, very few, but did not seem a ubiquitous enough convention that it would directly influence the spectrum of placement on North African blades.

Marc M. · Today, 08:51 AM

Interesting, my last kaskara, fairly standard, with a good blade, quite flexible and almost identical to the sword of the o.p. Based on the markings, it seems to me to be from the same smith and the same period. Thanks to Ed's research, the African craftsmen who often remain anonymous sometimes get a name and a face. Thanks also to Yuri, who has brought this old post back to life. I am posting this sword here for the same reason: it is not a particularly exceptional sword, but it is a silent witness, recently made in an age-old tradition, which is always fascinating.

Regards,
Marc

Edster · Today, 03:52 PM

Marc,

Thanks for posting another of Awad Adam's excellent swords. Note the tapered blade hand made entirely by eye and exact forge strikes. The quality appears as good or better than any munitions grade made in Solingen in the 19th C. This is why it's often difficult to tell between "local" and "imported" blades. I guess most Mahdiya Era swords were made with imported blades and those in the 20th C. were made with locally made blades. Also, the about 1960s or so the Kassala swords began to be exported country-wide so they were widely distributed. I'm sure that almost everyone outside of the bigger city was armed with a sword for protection and/or culture even to the 1980s when I was there.

Here's a video of a sword trader lamenting the decline in sword interest/use, 8 years ago. (skip the dog part as it precedes the Kaskara part)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKGAb6XUKAc

Sword smith at work 7 years ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiwvGpbYhms

Best,
Ed

Jim McDougall · Today, 06:03 PM

Ed,
A question on the crossguards with the notable 'X' at the center junction. I had always thought these were 'Darfur' from Reed (1987). What are the particulars on this feature?
Also, was there a period post Mahdiyya (or before) when Solingen sent already forged guards to Sudanese areas?

All the best
Jim

Today, 08:51 AM	#3
Marc M. Member Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Belgium Posts: 295	Interesting, my last kaskara, fairly standard, with a good blade, quite flexible and almost identical to the sword of the o.p. Based on the markings, it seems to me to be from the same smith and the same period. Thanks to Ed's research, the African craftsmen who often remain anonymous sometimes get a name and a face. Thanks also to Yuri, who has brought this old post back to life. I am posting this sword here for the same reason: it is not a particularly exceptional sword, but it is a silent witness, recently made in an age-old tradition, which is always fascinating. Regards, Marc Attached Images

Today, 03:52 PM	#4
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 439	Marc, Thanks for posting another of Awad Adam's excellent swords. Note the tapered blade hand made entirely by eye and exact forge strikes. The quality appears as good or better than any munitions grade made in Solingen in the 19th C. This is why it's often difficult to tell between "local" and "imported" blades. I guess most Mahdiya Era swords were made with imported blades and those in the 20th C. were made with locally made blades. Also, the about 1960s or so the Kassala swords began to be exported country-wide so they were widely distributed. I'm sure that almost everyone outside of the bigger city was armed with a sword for protection and/or culture even to the 1980s when I was there. Here's a video of a sword trader lamenting the decline in sword interest/use, 8 years ago. (skip the dog part as it precedes the Kaskara part) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKGAb6XUKAc Sword smith at work 7 years ago. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FiwvGpbYhms Best, Ed Last edited by Edster; Today at 04:08 PM. Reason: added second video.

11th September 2025, 08:05 PM	#2
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,579	Thanks Ed, I remember that discussion, and I was trying to find out if there was any instance of paired moons used in European context. As seen, there were a few cases, very few, but did not seem a ubiquitous enough convention that it would directly influence the spectrum of placement on North African blades.

Today, 06:03 PM	#5
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,579	Ed, A question on the crossguards with the notable 'X' at the center junction. I had always thought these were 'Darfur' from Reed (1987). What are the particulars on this feature? Also, was there a period post Mahdiyya (or before) when Solingen sent already forged guards to Sudanese areas? All the best Jim