ISLAMIC ARMS AT BRITISH MUSEUM
 

The British Museum has a small, but very nice permanent exhibit of Islamic Arms. Here are some pictures of fantastic weapons. Hope you'll enjoy the pictures.

.... a few more pictures....

Beautiful pieces! Thanks for sharing!

British Museum
 

Wow, gotta love the Islamic arms in that museum!! Love how the inly on the kilij blade was still in mint condition and raised well above the surface. The cross guard seems like it may be Persian and the hilt definately Turkish.

That 17th-18th Persian/Indian century mace was a killer piece too!!

Thanks for the pics.....

rand

Raised inscription indicates Turkish tradition. Persian were flat.

Not sure if your pics relate to the Victoria & Albert Museum, but if they do, there is a book by Anthony North about these, and it contains many very nice pics. Title is ISLAMIC ARMS by Anthony North. Printed by H.M Stationery Office ISBN 0 11 290384. Not sure if it is still available but write Victoria & Albert Museum, South Kensington, London SW7 2RL, UK.
Well worth it for the contents.
Regards Stuart

Alex thanks for posting this stunning pieces! They definitely made my day :)

Thanks so much for posting these photos, I've been to the British museum recently but managed to miss this section!

I headed back there a couple of days back and took a full set of photos for myself. Here are the pieces which aren't covered above.

I took photos of all the information plaques, so if anyone would like more details, please ask.

For photos from the Indian Arms section please click here

I notice that the kard in the pic with the four daggers has a blade that is hollow ground, like the one that I showed a week ago. It's only the third one that I have seen like that, and reaffirms my belief that mine is an exceptionally fine blade.

Very nice.

Hi Montino!

Do you mean the kard on the far left, the one with the quartz handle? For me the hollow grind isn't really apparent on this one, as it was on the one you showed. Bear in mind though, that I have minimal experience with these kind of knives, so I probably don't know what to look for. :)

I do notice however, that the kard second from the right - the one with a jade ram's head hilt - seems to be made from pattern welded/folded steel and not the typical fine crucible watering/wootz, like I believe Indo-Persian kards often display. Is a folded pattern uncommon in Mughal daggers or have I just not seen enough of them?

Beautiful and to die for, all of 'em - that's for sure! *droolysmiley*


Take care, - Thor

Some new photos

What kills me is the script on the kilij - it's raised , not inlaid! :eek:

Decoration on yataghan.
 

On the royal yataghans not only is the gold inlay raised above the surface of the blade. The decoration on the bolsa is three dimensional, the figures curve in on the back side. And all the gold work on the scabbard is solid gold. I have the total weight somewhere, will post it if found.

Posted in wrong place and could not remove.

rand

Wonderful pictures, especially seeing that they were photographed through the glass of the display cases. Thank you for sharing.

Best,
Robert

Salaams All, This is such an important part of Forum activity and gives bench mark references for our study. Not everyone can get to these venues and having them to hand is so useful. Anyone notice the missing "bullet in chamber pointer" on the Martini Henry?

Great Thread.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi. :shrug:

Wonderful pics indeed! Thank you for posting this.

Thank you both for sharing this great pictures! :)

Ibrahim,
Many old breechloaders in the UK were "de-activated" in the 1950's ans 60's so that they could be owned without a license and openly displayed (rather than being locked up in a gun cabinet). This meant making them irretrievably unfirable and whilst some "de-activators" were skilled enough to remove the firing pin and it's seating so that the gun would still cock etc. others were a lot cruder and took out most of the "innards" and put a hacksaw through the breech. It is possible that is what happened here.
Since 1968 it is possible to own and trade gun's with "obsolete" calibres and chambering. These are listed, thus a .577\.45 Martini is "obsolete" but a .303 still needs a license.
Regards
Richard

Front Rank ! Load !!!!
 

:D

Front Rank ! Load !!!!
 

Salaams Richard ~ Indeed and the other mod was to file the face of the breech at 45 degrees .. insane! That and milling the barrel by sawing it at the breech doomed the weapon to scrap ...Looking at the weapon it appears not to have been tampered with as the Omani work, silver and modified old woodwork have not been touched (barrel wise). I see no reason, however, to see an antique weapon with no "bullet up the spout indicator"... Maybe it just fell out...? Some are a bit loose and it happens... I have half a dozen spares maybe someone can ask and I will send them one... :)

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Thats haven , thaks for sharing
:)