big flissa for comment please

[Emanuel]

Hello,

Finally a new flyssa on the forum

I have handled a number of flyssa and I do not know where this short beefy type fits in. I do not know if it's an older kind closer to a yataghan, or a later 19th century type made for the new colonial market. The "coat-of-arms" is new to me. It is not consistent with the classic geometric Kabyle decorative elements, and the brass decoration seems excessive. The "coat-of-arms" looks European inspired, with what looks like a fleur de lys. The cross-hatching on the blade looks crude and the handle doesn't look like it ever had brass covering.

I'm tending to a later 19th century date on this piece, possibly not produced by the Iflissen, who originally developed the flyssa.

Here is a group with a long flyssa also with 5-6cm wide blade. http://vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=12938

And here is one that might be of the earliest kind http://vikingsword.com/vb/showpost.p...75&postcount=1 . Its construction is much closer to Anatolian Ottoman yataghan.

Regards,
Emanuel