Persian made blade...but where did it see service??

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by RSWORD

I would look to Central Asia as a possible export region. The preference for straight blades was strong there as was the Persian hilt styles. On the hilt decoration I would look to firearms for comparables as you often find this sort of decoration on firearms, more rarely on Yat and saber/shamshir hilts.

I agree Rick, in revisiting the Pinchot article, one of the shamshirs with similar crossguard is stated of Bukharen form, and resembled this one, despite the rest of the hilt of Persian style. Bukhara of course was predominantly influenced by Persia. I am still thinking this is likely Arabian Bedouin of mid to latter 19th c.

[TVV]

Here is an interesting hilt. The qama on the picture is currently in Bulgaria, but I have been told that it was initially acquired in Istanbul recently. I think it safe to characterize the qama as Turkish.
If Chalres's sword was indeed exported initially to Southern Arabia, what are the chances it made it to Northern Arabia? To me it seems that the hilt inserts are Turkish or Turkish influenced.
Regards,
Teodor