Nice takouba sword for comments

Marc M. · 23rd July 2022, 04:01 PM

Very nice sword, mounds and scabbard are more modern than the blade.
Too me it look looks more Europian than local.
The fullers are straight and equal and the whole quality of the blade looks very good. Bird symbol looks local made.
Would like to find a sword like yours, great find.

Kind regards
Marc

francantolin · 23rd July 2022, 11:29 PM

Thank you all for the detailled comments !
Really nice model Lee !!

I thought earlier 40s-50s made silver work but...
Glad to hear the blade is an old one
heavy blade but flexible. Try to make ''sound'' it !

Edster · 24th July 2022, 07:11 PM

I noted five 5-fullered kaskaras in my Kaskara Fullers paper. One was collected in 1881-82 and mine was reported made in 1914 in Kassala. Five fullers are called Mukhammas.
From the paper"
"Mukhammas (Arabic ‘fivefold’) refers to a type of Persian or Urdu cinquain or
pentastich with Sufi connections based on a pentameter and have five lines in
each paragraph. More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukhammas

Native and Arabic poetry is a feature of Sudanese culture. But who would have thought that a special Kassala-made sword blade (5 channels are much more difficult to make than 3 fullers) would have a link to a Persian and Urdu (Muslim part of India) poetry form? There may be a prosaic explanation. Mukhammas may be just a grammatic feature of Arabic for Five = Khamsa, but I
prefer the poetry connection."

Your blade may have had a Sudanese connection, and likely origin. Five fullers would make your blade special regardless of its origin.

Best,
Ed

motan · 1st August 2022, 09:57 AM

Hi Francantolin,
Really nice Takouba. I like the esthetics and the geometric decoration. I don't know much about them, but I do know a bit about birds (the avian kind). This is no Ostrich. There are more likely candidates. Perhaps the most likely is Black Crowned Crane - a common bird (in the past) of the Sahel and adjacent wetlands. I say this because of the long legs, upright body posture and the "crown".
I wonder why some benign birds like this are used as symbols on weapons. Jordanian and South Palestinians use the dove as a symbol. Anyway, this is my two-cents addition.

francantolin · 2nd August 2022, 10:05 PM

Thank you all for your messages and sorry for the late reply.
Thank you Ed for the five-khemsa esoteric or muslim symbol and a possible sudanese origin.

Yes Motan , I wrote ostrich- royal.crane on my first message, I saw what seems to be a stylized ''crown'' around the head .
Just an idea : the blade of these large takoubas and especially the tip looks like an ostrich beak
Massive ( 1,1 kg sword without scabbard ) unsharpened and large 15 first centimeters but then razorblade sharp utilise the tip,
Efficient ike an ostrich attack !

francantolin · 2nd August 2022, 10:11 PM

I wanted to share these pics: verso of the handle and ''zoom'' of the fullered part of the blade.
Maybe or maybe not european trade blade but nice quality

Kind regards

werecow · 3rd August 2022, 12:07 AM

Beautiful sword. Love your slightly awkward chicken (or ostrich, or crane, whichever it might be). }|<o)

1st August 2022, 09:57 AM	#4
motan Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Jerusalem Posts: 274	Takouba bird Hi Francantolin, Really nice Takouba. I like the esthetics and the geometric decoration. I don't know much about them, but I do know a bit about birds (the avian kind). This is no Ostrich. There are more likely candidates. Perhaps the most likely is Black Crowned Crane - a common bird (in the past) of the Sahel and adjacent wetlands. I say this because of the long legs, upright body posture and the "crown". I wonder why some benign birds like this are used as symbols on weapons. Jordanian and South Palestinians use the dove as a symbol. Anyway, this is my two-cents addition. Attached Images

2nd August 2022, 10:05 PM	#5
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 911	Thank you all for your messages and sorry for the late reply. Thank you Ed for the five-khemsa esoteric or muslim symbol and a possible sudanese origin. Yes Motan , I wrote ostrich- royal.crane on my first message, I saw what seems to be a stylized ''crown'' around the head . Just an idea : the blade of these large takoubas and especially the tip looks like an ostrich beak Massive ( 1,1 kg sword without scabbard ) unsharpened and large 15 first centimeters but then razorblade sharp utilise the tip, Efficient ike an ostrich attack ! Attached Images

2nd August 2022, 10:11 PM	#6
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 911	I wanted to share these pics: verso of the handle and ''zoom'' of the fullered part of the blade. Maybe or maybe not european trade blade but nice quality Kind regards Attached Images

23rd July 2022, 04:01 PM	#1
Marc M. Member Join Date: Aug 2019 Location: Belgium Posts: 295	Very nice sword, mounds and scabbard are more modern than the blade. Too me it look looks more Europian than local. The fullers are straight and equal and the whole quality of the blade looks very good. Bird symbol looks local made. Would like to find a sword like yours, great find. Kind regards Marc

23rd July 2022, 11:29 PM	#2
francantolin Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Posts: 911	Thank you all for the detailled comments ! Really nice model Lee !! I thought earlier 40s-50s made silver work but... Glad to hear the blade is an old one heavy blade but flexible. Try to make ''sound'' it !

24th July 2022, 07:11 PM	#3
Edster Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 440	I noted five 5-fullered kaskaras in my Kaskara Fullers paper. One was collected in 1881-82 and mine was reported made in 1914 in Kassala. Five fullers are called Mukhammas. From the paper" "Mukhammas (Arabic ‘fivefold’) refers to a type of Persian or Urdu cinquain or pentastich with Sufi connections based on a pentameter and have five lines in each paragraph. More details here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mukhammas Native and Arabic poetry is a feature of Sudanese culture. But who would have thought that a special Kassala-made sword blade (5 channels are much more difficult to make than 3 fullers) would have a link to a Persian and Urdu (Muslim part of India) poetry form? There may be a prosaic explanation. Mukhammas may be just a grammatic feature of Arabic for Five = Khamsa, but I prefer the poetry connection." Your blade may have had a Sudanese connection, and likely origin. Five fullers would make your blade special regardless of its origin. Best, Ed

3rd August 2022, 12:07 AM	#7
werecow Member Join Date: Sep 2021 Location: Leiden, NL Posts: 596	Beautiful sword. Love your slightly awkward chicken (or ostrich, or crane, whichever it might be). }\|<o)