Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 14th July 2007, 06:58 PM   #1
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default Help with yatagans' inscriptions

A friend of mine from Bulgaria has several yatagans and he would love to learn what the transcriptions on them mean. Can anyone help, I would really appreciate it?
Thank you very much,
Teodor

Pictures of first yatagan attached
Attached Images
   
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14th July 2007, 07:05 PM   #2
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default

Second yatagan, and a stamp from the third yatagan.
Attached Images
  
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14th July 2007, 07:15 PM   #3
Battara
EAAF Staff
 
Battara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,135
Default

W W!

Are those 4 rows of twist core I see!?!? Please show the rest of the sword!
Battara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14th July 2007, 07:35 PM   #4
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Battara
W W!

Are those 4 rows of twist core I see!?!? Please show the rest of the sword!
I am not sure Jose, I think this pattern is referred to as Turksih Ribbon. Whatever the case, it certainly took a skillfull smith to produce this lovely blade, and hopefully we may learn his name if the inscription is translated.
Regards,
Teodor
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15th July 2007, 09:08 PM   #5
Battara
EAAF Staff
 
Battara's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 7,135
Default

The second one with walrus ivory looks Balkan by the ear profile.
Battara is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15th July 2007, 09:36 PM   #6
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default

They are all Balkan, collected in Bulgaria, with details such as villages where these were found available for a few of them. Of course, they could have travelled from one place to another in the past, but I Believe they were all made in the Balkans. Based on examples, walrus hilted yatagans are generally from the Western Balkans, such as Bosnia, and in the Eastern Balkans the hilts are mostly from dark horn - predominantly cow or buffalo, although on one of the examples pictured, which has the smallest ears, the hilt is made of rhino horn.
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 17th August 2007, 04:58 PM   #7
Richard Furrer
Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin
Posts: 163
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Battara
W W!

Are those 4 rows of twist core I see!?!? Please show the rest of the sword!
I count five on the upper and six on the next sword with a back and edge welded on as well.

Ric
Richard Furrer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th December 2007, 07:50 PM   #8
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default

I am afraid my friend has developped an addiction to damascus yatagans now and he is on a quest to acquire them all. Here is his latest acquisition and I believe this time the yatagan originates from Asia Minor as opposed to the Balkans. Here are some pictures along with the usual request for translation - I have not lost hope yet.
Teodor
Attached Images
      
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31st March 2008, 03:03 PM   #9
Dom
Member
 
Dom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Paris (FR*) Cairo (EG)
Posts: 1,142
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by TVV
Here are some pictures along with the usual request for translation Teodor
Hi Teodor
sorry, but even don't seems to be arabic


à +

Dom

attached; one pic of a series from 3
Attached Images
 

Last edited by Dom; 31st March 2008 at 03:45 PM.
Dom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 14th July 2007, 07:16 PM   #10
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default

And the inscription on the 4th piece, followed by pictures of the yatagans.
Attached Images
     
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13th December 2007, 10:20 PM   #11
Zifir
Member
 
Zifir's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Istanbul
Posts: 228
Default

Hi,
The inscription is "amel-e elhac mustafa, sahib ahmed aga" [made by mustafa the pilgrim, owner ahmed aga]

the date is partly erased, I could only make out the number "88" at the very end, and it's probably 1288 hejira= 1871-1872
Attached Images
 
Zifir is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 31st March 2008, 02:34 PM   #12
Dom
Member
 
Dom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Paris (FR*) Cairo (EG)
Posts: 1,142
Default

sorry, because if arabic alphabet,
seems not be arabic language
Turkish ? Farsi ?

à +

Dom
Attached Images
 

Last edited by Dom; 31st March 2008 at 03:36 PM.
Dom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15th October 2012, 02:51 AM   #13
ariel
Member
 
ariel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 5,503
Default

The one with the T-handle is a Zeibek one, IMHO.
http://www.timsah.com/Zeybek-Dance-COKERTME/nTVV0PBAXku
ariel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 15th October 2012, 08:55 PM   #14
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default

Zifir,

Thank you very much for the translations. The yataghans in posts 55 & 56 were similar in terms of their decoration, and were made in a span of 4 years, but as we now know thanks to your translation, by different smiths. Also, thank you for cinfirming my suspicions about the inscripions on the modern Indian daggers: it must indeed be difficult for contemporary kotgari artists to copy old inscriptions.

Ariel, good observation on the T-shaped hilt. I have always assumed that it is an Anatolian feature, but now you have linked it more specifically to the southern parts of Asia Minor, facing the Aegean. I am sure that period photos, if any come up, will further confirm this. I am assuming you were referring to the yataghan in post 17, since it is the only one in this thread with this type of hilt.

Many thanks to everyone again,
Teodor
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 19th March 2013, 06:22 PM   #15
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default

Here is another one for translation, many thanks in advance to Ziir or anyone else who attempt to unlock the meaning of the inscriptions.

Teodor
Attached Images
   
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 23rd March 2013, 06:33 PM   #16
TVV
Member
 
TVV's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Bay Area
Posts: 1,595
Default

Better pictures uploaded.
Attached Images
  
TVV is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 04:33 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.