Kaskara - Translation?

[Mefidk]

Regihis - it does indeed seem that our examples came from some very similar source, or at least the text that was copied did.

If your's mentions Omdurman, and mine a tomb then it does seem more likely that we have some evidence for post-Mahdi sourvenirs. So perhaps a translation will finally be able to finish this discussion - e.g. if it turns out that there is some mention of the Mahdi's tomb at Omdurman then we can be certain that these were made at the very earliest at at the very end of the 19C.

Perhaps Dom or some other learned folk with respect to Arabic could help but as far as I understand it the text near the hilt is written in an old but more modern script than that we are referring to as thuluth. Maybe we can get a better or more complete translation of these easier to read sections?


Iain - yes you are quite right about the possible Ethiopian connection. Great minds think alike - the sword you linked to was the reason I bought this one - thinking perhaps it was similar. Not easy to discern letters though so I'm not really sure yet what it is. The blade does seem to have had a long and active life though judging by the amount of material removed for sharpening.

Chris

[Dom]

Originally Posted by Mefidk

Perhaps Dom or some other learned folk with respect to Arabic could help

Hi Chris

after some difficulties ... HERE WE ARE

KHARTOUM SANA 1123 H. either KHARTOUM YEAR 1711 A.C.

DOREBA B OMDOUMAN either MADE IN OMDOURMAN

no mention about "tomb" ... "shrine" ... sorry

I don't guess that the date is related with fabrication
- the date has to be linked with Khartoum
- Omdouran linked with the place of blacksmith
no more ... at least, it's my point of view

very nice "épée"

à +

Dom

[Mefidk]

Many thanks Dom, this is really a big help

Still some mysteries to solve here w.r.t. Khartoum and that date (as far as I know it did not exist in 1711), but this does certainly seem to lend weight to the idea of solider's momentos produced after Omdurman. At least I cannot think of any good reason so many of these blades would have been produced in Omdurman prior to the British victory there. If produced under the Mahdi for some commemorative reason I guess they would at the very least mention him. So post 1898, which also fits with the fact that so far no-one has yet produced a provenanced example prior to 1900 (unless someone out there knows better that is). This also explains why there are so many of these around (not just kaskaras but other blades with the same or very similar writing).

Pity about the tomb, just goes to show that all translations (except for Dom's of course), should be taken with a pince of salt

[laEspadaAncha]

Hi Chris,

I have one of these as well, posted in this thread.



I'm not sure what or who it is in reference to, or if it can even help in your efforts, but a friend translated the handle to read, "Lion of Justice."

Cheers,

Chris

[Mefidk]

Thanks for the link Chris. It does seem to me that we are coming to land firmly on the side of these being made as soldier's souvenirs in the very early part of the 20th C.
I think that the 'Made in Omdurman' translation from Dom pretty well clinches it. In your case it seems the message was different, and perhaps you have a higher end, or at least different producer/area.
I can't see it clearly from the pictures, but I think that the thuluth on your blade is closer to the form seen on the fighting blades, and it does not seem to have the chain motif associated with most of the flat thuluth kaskaras. Brass guard is the same though. Looks like a flat non-functional blade though, made in the same way as the other examples with no peg to hold the blade in. I wonder if we have any more variants of these out there?

[regihis]

i paid 400 us$ for a tourist gift?

[Iain]

Originally Posted by regihis

i paid 400 us$ for a tourist gift?

We don't usually discuss prices on the forum. If these short kaskara were made for "export" they still have some age and an interesting story behind them. If you are not satisfied with the sword you have I guess you can always try to return it. For the figure you mentioned a large, fighting kaskara should not be too difficult to find.