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Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi
Is it one of the hilt forms or perhaps a Gurade hilt? I show to compare a Gurade Hilt ...
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While I don't dispute the NW African/Tuareg attribution, I agree with Ibrahiim on the similarity to Gurade hilts, and in turn, to Sudanese arm daggers. In Blue Nile, historically a 'borderlands' transitional zone between Sudanic and Ethiopian cultural areas ( see
https://www.isca.ox.ac.uk/fileadmin/...13/1-James.pdf eg), arm dagger-style hilts are still occasionally seen on straight-bladed short or medium-length swords, giving a visual effect similar to a straightened gurade and very much like the sword in question.
Coincidence, I'm sure, but interesting.
The leatherwork on the hilt also gives it a vaguely Sudanic/Sahelian aspect, but not quite like anything I've seen before.