Takouskara

Kubur · 12th July 2021, 09:16 PM

Hi guys,

I got an interesting takouba, some features are close to kaskara and I place this takouba close to Sudan, may be in Chad.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...8&postcount=31

The sword was stuck in the scabbard, in very bad condition, I got a good suprise when I managed to have access to the blade.

I will be grateful for your comments and Kiwatek for translation.

I will post later details of the sword, dress, belt... clearly the sword of someone important...

Kubur

Kubur · 12th July 2021, 09:35 PM

The inscriptions, different on both sides

TVV · 12th July 2021, 11:29 PM

Kubur,

Congratulations, what a spectacular sword. It is indeed very similar to the one in Hales' book. The scabbard fittings and the hilt construction are like a takouba, while the blade is more like something one would expect to find on a nice, older kaskara. Therefore a Kanem Bornu or Wadai attribution seems reasonable.

It will be interesting to see kwiatek's translation as it may hold the key.

Teodor

David R · 12th July 2021, 11:39 PM

A very nice piece indeed.

kwiatek · 13th July 2021, 01:18 AM

Nice inscription too. They are Arabic verses from al-Busiri‘s Qasidat al-Burda (Ode of the Mantle), which are common on kaskaras

SIDE A

ومن تكن برسول الله نصرته إن تلقه الأسد فى آجامها تجم

“Whoever is assisted by God's Messenger,
The lion on meeting him in its wood lies down meekly”

SIDE B

ولن ترى من ولي غير منتصر به ولا من عدو غير منقصم

“And you shall see no friend (of God) but he who is assisted,
And you shall see no enemy but he who is crushed”

mariusgmioc · 13th July 2021, 07:13 AM

Wow! Very nice find!

Congratulations!

colin henshaw · 13th July 2021, 09:05 AM

A most interesting find ... well done and thanks for posting.

Iain · 13th July 2021, 10:34 AM

I was curious if someone here would pick it up. It is indeed an interesting one, however I don't really see Kanem-Bornu, rather the hilt design is quite similar to some Yemeni designs, although made in the construction method of a takouba.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7895

David R · 13th July 2021, 12:06 PM

The sword is classic Old Arabian of a style seen since the the 10th C. at least, it's the scabbard that is Takouba like. The inscription is beautifully inscribed, I think this is probably an important sword.

Kubur · 13th July 2021, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David R

The sword is classic Old Arabian of a style seen since the the 10th C. at least, it's the scabbard that is Takouba like. The inscription is beautifully inscribed, I think this is probably an important sword.

Hi David, Please look at this link for sister sword

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...8&postcount=31

Kubur · 13th July 2021, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iain

I was curious if someone here would pick it up. It is indeed an interesting one, however I don't really see Kanem-Bornu, rather the hilt design is quite similar to some Yemeni designs, although made in the construction method of a takouba.

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7895

I can see where you are coming from, it is true that the hilt is in silver and the grip has an helicoidal design.

Then the sword lost her guard so it reinforces the similarity with a Yemeni sword but it is just because the guard is missing...

I know that the sword doesn't fit in "specialised collectors" boxes, so I called it a takouskara.

Please look at the scabbard too.

Iain · 13th July 2021, 12:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kubur

I can see where you are coming from, it is true that the hilt is in silver and the grip has an helicoidal design.

Then the sword lost her guard so it reinforces the similarity with a Yemeni sword but it is just because the guard is missing...

I know that the sword doesn't fit in "specialised collectors" boxes, so I called it a takouskara.

Please look at the scabbard too.

I don't believe in boxes for takouba.

The scabbard is perhaps not original to the sword. The chape is Hausa work.

The sword is not missing the entire guard rather the sheet metal structure remains but the decorated guard plates are missing. As I said this is made in the normal manner for a takouba, but the decorative elements on the grip and pommel are closer to the style seen in Yemen. That's not saying the work is Yemeni

the sahel is a vast place with many intriguing takouba and takouba like swords.

This one appears to my eye to have travelled widely and most likely was collected in modern day Nigeria where at the time it was in a Hausa made scabbard. Foreign swords are not unusual in a Hausa context with many state weapons of local Emirates coming from various locales including Ottoman blades, thuluth blade from Sudan etc.

The place of manufacture of the hilt was likely not within the usually encountered centers in Hausa states or in a Bornu or Tuareg context.

TVV · 13th July 2021, 06:18 PM

Based on the existence of another very similar published sword, we can conclude that this is not a one off creation, but rather a type that existed somewhere in the Sahel in the 19th century. Hales pictured his sword in a group of kaskaras, probably because of the blade, and so both of the swords we know like this have kaskara blades.
The style of the chape is Hausa, but it was not limited to just the Hausa states, as we see it on takoubas and telek daggers all the way from Bida to Adamawa and what is Northern Cameroon today. I have a similar chape on a wide bladed takouba, which I posted for comparison to other Northern Cameroon swords in this thread:
https://vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24269

Adamawa and the Mandara Mountains are not that far from Lake Chad, and the area was part of Kanem Bornu at various times, with very strong Kanuri influence even after the Fulani jihad. I am not trying to prove that the sword itself is Kanuri, just pointing out that it did not need to travel all the way to Kano to get its current scabbard.

The hilt has the construction of takouba hilts rather than kaskara ones, but the choice of material is also important. Silver is almost never found on takouba hilts and very common on kaskaras, as Ed Hunley has demonstrated.

It appears therefore that these swords are the result of mixed influence, and therefore most likely from an area where takoubas and kaskaras were both used to some extent.

12th July 2021, 09:16 PM	#1
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	Takouskara Hi guys, I got an interesting takouba, some features are close to kaskara and I place this takouba close to Sudan, may be in Chad. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showpo...8&postcount=31 The sword was stuck in the scabbard, in very bad condition, I got a good suprise when I managed to have access to the blade. I will be grateful for your comments and Kiwatek for translation. I will post later details of the sword, dress, belt... clearly the sword of someone important... Kubur Attached Images Last edited by Kubur; 12th July 2021 at 09:32 PM. Reason: pics

12th July 2021, 09:35 PM	#2
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	The inscriptions, different on both sides Attached Images

12th July 2021, 11:29 PM	#3
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,598	Kubur, Congratulations, what a spectacular sword. It is indeed very similar to the one in Hales' book. The scabbard fittings and the hilt construction are like a takouba, while the blade is more like something one would expect to find on a nice, older kaskara. Therefore a Kanem Bornu or Wadai attribution seems reasonable. It will be interesting to see kwiatek's translation as it may hold the key. Teodor

12th July 2021, 11:39 PM	#4
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,053	A very nice piece indeed.

13th July 2021, 01:18 AM	#5
kwiatek Member Join Date: May 2019 Posts: 153	Nice inscription too. They are Arabic verses from al-Busiri‘s Qasidat al-Burda (Ode of the Mantle), which are common on kaskaras SIDE A ومن تكن برسول الله نصرته إن تلقه الأسد فى آجامها تجم “Whoever is assisted by God's Messenger, The lion on meeting him in its wood lies down meekly” SIDE B ولن ترى من ولي غير منتصر به ولا من عدو غير منقصم “And you shall see no friend (of God) but he who is assisted, And you shall see no enemy but he who is crushed”

13th July 2021, 07:13 AM	#6
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,873	Wow! Very nice find! Congratulations!

13th July 2021, 09:05 AM	#7
colin henshaw Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,430	A most interesting find ... well done and thanks for posting.

13th July 2021, 10:34 AM	#8
Iain Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Olomouc Posts: 1,680	I was curious if someone here would pick it up. It is indeed an interesting one, however I don't really see Kanem-Bornu, rather the hilt design is quite similar to some Yemeni designs, although made in the construction method of a takouba. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=7895

13th July 2021, 12:06 PM	#9
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,053	The sword is classic Old Arabian of a style seen since the the 10th C. at least, it's the scabbard that is Takouba like. The inscription is beautifully inscribed, I think this is probably an important sword.

13th July 2021, 06:18 PM	#13
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,598	Based on the existence of another very similar published sword, we can conclude that this is not a one off creation, but rather a type that existed somewhere in the Sahel in the 19th century. Hales pictured his sword in a group of kaskaras, probably because of the blade, and so both of the swords we know like this have kaskara blades. The style of the chape is Hausa, but it was not limited to just the Hausa states, as we see it on takoubas and telek daggers all the way from Bida to Adamawa and what is Northern Cameroon today. I have a similar chape on a wide bladed takouba, which I posted for comparison to other Northern Cameroon swords in this thread: https://vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=24269 Adamawa and the Mandara Mountains are not that far from Lake Chad, and the area was part of Kanem Bornu at various times, with very strong Kanuri influence even after the Fulani jihad. I am not trying to prove that the sword itself is Kanuri, just pointing out that it did not need to travel all the way to Kano to get its current scabbard. The hilt has the construction of takouba hilts rather than kaskara ones, but the choice of material is also important. Silver is almost never found on takouba hilts and very common on kaskaras, as Ed Hunley has demonstrated. It appears therefore that these swords are the result of mixed influence, and therefore most likely from an area where takoubas and kaskaras were both used to some extent.