Interesting Ottoman-Arab Dagger

CharlesS · 14th October 2014, 05:41 PM

This past weekend Rsword, Runjeet, Battara, and myself had a chance to study this interesting dagger. The dagger has a clearly Ottoman inspired hilt of walrus ivory with a blade that has a more Arab or N. African profile. I believe this piece could potentially be from anywhere in the eastern Mediterranean or N. African portions of the 19th century Ottoman Empire. When Battara and I first examined the blade we were convinced it was "faux" damascus steel, but Rsword pointed out to us an example of a little known form or damascus steel mentioned in Manfred Sachse's book Damascus Steel. It is illustrated on page 72(3rd edition) in figure 111. He calls it "chequered mottle (network) damask". Unfortunately, he says very little else about it. This pattern only reveals itself after etching which then rules out "faux" damascus steel.

I'd be interested to know if any other forum members have seen similar daggers and especially similar forms of damascus steel. Thanks for any input!

14th October 2014, 05:41 PM	#1
CharlesS Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Greenville, NC Posts: 1,855	Interesting Ottoman-Arab Dagger This past weekend Rsword, Runjeet, Battara, and myself had a chance to study this interesting dagger. The dagger has a clearly Ottoman inspired hilt of walrus ivory with a blade that has a more Arab or N. African profile. I believe this piece could potentially be from anywhere in the eastern Mediterranean or N. African portions of the 19th century Ottoman Empire. When Battara and I first examined the blade we were convinced it was "faux" damascus steel, but Rsword pointed out to us an example of a little known form or damascus steel mentioned in Manfred Sachse's book *Damascus Steel. It is illustrated on page 72(3rd edition) in figure 111. He calls it "chequered mottle (network) damask". Unfortunately, he says very little else about it. This pattern only reveals itself after etching which then rules out "faux" damascus steel. I'd be interested to know if any other forum members have seen similar daggers and especially similar forms of damascus steel. Thanks for any input!* Attached Images