Interesting Tulwar Sword With Ottoman Turkish Blade

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by CharlesS

Many of you that have known me over the years know that I LOVE blades that show cross cultural influences from the infinite possibilities that came with the diverse Islamic trade routes.

Here is one I have just acquired that is both of great quality and quite unique.

Here we have a heavy, double knuckle guard tulwar hilt set with a clearly Ottoman blade of "kilij" or "pala" form forged of Ottoman twistcore steel in a fashion known as "Turkish Ribbon". The blade has an inscription in English reading "Baroda State" with a European style monogram. This is clearly no randomly put together piece, with great thought going into the fit and size of the hilt in relationship to the blade and balance. It is clear it has all been together with its original (and very worn) scabbard for some time.

The history of the Baroda State(present day Vadodara) is very interesting...a part of Gujarat, once independent from the Moghuls, the state kept a close and friendly relationship with the British. In some cases, like education, etc. the state seems to have tried to "out British the British", clearly heavily influenced by them. Their partially Persian made navy was even allied with the British in several engagements.

Though majority Hindu, Baroda State seems to have been very tolerant religiously, clearly trading with the Muslim world and the British among others. This sword would clearly show the influence of such trade.

I bought this blade not sure if it had a pattern or not, as it was polished bright...but I had a suspicion that it did. I tried to etch it myself only to watch the clear Turkish ribbon pattern fade out before my eyes. Knowing it needed a professional's touch, I sent it to Philip Tom for a little "magic and special recipes". The pattern came out in brownish tint, but stayed put, not fading out. I have seen other Turkish ribbon blades that show this same brownish hue, but clearly define the pattern.

Dimensions:

Overall length: 34in.
Blade length: 29.5in.
Widest point of the blade at the base of the yelman: 2in.

Comments or additional info is, naturally, welcomed!

Salaams.... Just while I get into this post~ heres a reference on Library http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16083
Whilst searching I also came up with an interesting write up at http://sengars.wordpress.com/2014/01...hausi-thikana/ though Im not sure Im onto the exact region yet??....the swords look great !

To really understand where it is I have to say(in my ignorance) I had to have a map and I had no idea about the region... here it is...from wikepedia

Quote"Vadodara, also known as Baroda, is the third largest city in the Indian State of Gujarat, after Ahmedabad and Surat. It is the administrative headquarters of Vadodara District. It is located on the banks of the Vishwamitri river, southeast of Ahmedabad, 139 km from state capital, Gandhinagar. Both the railway line and national highway connecting Delhi and Mumbai pass through Vadodara.

Vadodara has a population of almost 1.6 million people (as of 2005). It is the site of the Lakshmi Vilas Palace belonging to the royal Gaekwad dynasty of the Marathas. It is also the home of the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, which is the largest university in Gujarat".Unquote.

For the rest of the amazing detail kindly see Wikepedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vadodara

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.