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Post by Irrissann on Jul 21, 2017 3:09:31 GMT
This is a shamshir, which is the Persian word for sword. It's a curved cavalry sabre intended for light cavalry use against lightly armored opponents. The blade is deeply curved, and fairly narrow (in width) but thick (in cross section). It imparts impressive slices on targets, whilst minimizing friction in the cut. The tip is fine, and could conceivably be used for thrusting, however the large curvature makes this awkward and difficult. The handle is of the classic style for Iran / Persia, with a steel crossguard. The pommel is of the early rounded type, and the handle is horn. I believe this particular breed of wootz is called Kara Khorassan wootz, or black wootz. It has a distinct styling, being dark with fine light swirls. This is half of the inscription - the other half was removed over repeated sharpening and polishing during this swords long lifetime, which saw use in multiple skirmishes against the poles on the border of Europe. I've matched this to a maker, Assad Allah, a rather well known Persian swordmaker who was famous for his wootz. Attachments:
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Jul 21, 2017 3:52:40 GMT
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Post by Croccifixio on Jul 21, 2017 4:14:55 GMT
Oh man absolutely gorgeous sword! Wish you could get more lighting on that blade.
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stormmaster
Member
I like viking/migration era swords
Posts: 7,647
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Post by stormmaster on Jul 21, 2017 4:18:39 GMT
hi dude are you on reddit alot on swords? i think ive seen u there lol
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worldantiques
Member
https://www.pinterest.com/worldantiques
Posts: 81
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Post by worldantiques on Jul 23, 2017 1:12:43 GMT
A nice typical Persian shamshir, as for age and maker identification.....inscriptions are not to be trusted. Can you post a larger, detailed image of the wootz pattern, we can then compare to other known kara khorassan wootz blades to see it matches. Do you plan on restoring the scabbard?
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Post by Irrissann on Sept 2, 2017 22:28:36 GMT
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Post by jdm61 on Dec 26, 2017 6:46:04 GMT
Would a sword that age still have steel made in Sri Lanka or southern India or could it have come from farther north by that time?
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Post by Timo Nieminen on Dec 26, 2017 7:08:18 GMT
The steel could have come from further north long before then, or at around 1600, or long after then. Khorassan and the Fergana Valley were major producers and exporters of crucible steel already in the 1st millenium AD.
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