Ottoman Hancer for translation please

mariusgmioc · 30th July 2026, 04:45 PM

Can somebody help me with the translation of the koftgari on this hancer?

Battara · 31st July 2026, 06:50 PM

Under the Ottomans it is from Albania. Very nice.

serdar · 2nd August 2026, 01:19 PM

Is it yours?
It was on herman historica auction.
It is ottoman dagger, but it has nothing to do with albania, lots of people call this type of dagger albanian but it isnt.
It has walrus ivory hilt, albanians never used walrus nor this type of hilt or silverwork, nor it is from balkans.

serdar · 2nd August 2026, 09:38 PM

About translation Alah is visible but rest not so.
Probably in the name of god, or similar phrase.

Battara · 2nd August 2026, 11:00 PM

If this is not Albanian, then where do you say it is from?

serdar · Yesterday, 07:01 PM

I realy dont know why people call this kind of a dagger albanian, i saw it called like that on several sites, but then again people all over internet call 18/19 century jannisery kilij a pala and pala is a diferent kind of a sword.

In albania weapons made in their workshops were a lower quality, so they mainly used those and for higher end pieces, import from bosnia, boka kotorska or greece, and neither in albania nor neighbours workshops did they made these daggers.

Where is it from? I realy dont know, from some part of ottoman empire, maybe few examples in the past ended up in balkan area with invading ottomans, but i never saw one neither in museum, nor in annyone collection.

For example zeybek yatagans, they came with invading ottoman armies, so there are few examples in museums in montenegro.

There is also sirian dagger in silver, that people in many cases name albanian, but it has nothing to do with albania.

Lots of daggers and swords from boka kotorska with marvelous silverwork were proclaimed persian, although they got nothing to do with persia.

It originated from some were but from where, who would know.

gp · Today, 12:06 PM

Serdar is correct; not at all Balkan or former Yu area, not even to speak of Albania....

many sellers do make this mistake and others just take this over like this wrong example:
https://oriental-arms.com/home/906-o...ar-dagger.html

the style comes closer to Persian type khanjar / handzar / hancar, like in these examples:

https://www.mandarinmansion.com/glossary/khanjar
https://www.arms-armor-arts.com/en/c...rsian-khanjar/
https://www.arms-armor-arts.com/en/c...toman-khanjar/
https://www.spesbona-arms.com/produc...ttoman-khanjar
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/31853

30th July 2026, 04:45 PM	#1
mariusgmioc Member Join Date: Sep 2014 Location: Austria Posts: 1,919	Ottoman Hancer for translation please Can somebody help me with the translation of the koftgari on this hancer? Attached Images

Today, 12:06 PM	#7
gp Member Join Date: May 2020 Posts: 1,042	Serdar is correct; not at all Balkan or former Yu area, not even to speak of Albania.... many sellers do make this mistake and others just take this over like this wrong example: https://oriental-arms.com/home/906-o...ar-dagger.html the style comes closer to Persian type khanjar / handzar / hancar, like in these examples: https://www.mandarinmansion.com/glossary/khanjar https://www.arms-armor-arts.com/en/c...rsian-khanjar/ https://www.arms-armor-arts.com/en/c...toman-khanjar/ https://www.spesbona-arms.com/produc...ttoman-khanjar https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/31853 Attached Images

31st July 2026, 06:50 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,420	Under the Ottomans it is from Albania. Very nice.

2nd August 2026, 01:19 PM	#3
serdar Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Posts: 254	Is it yours? It was on herman historica auction. It is ottoman dagger, but it has nothing to do with albania, lots of people call this type of dagger albanian but it isnt. It has walrus ivory hilt, albanians never used walrus nor this type of hilt or silverwork, nor it is from balkans.

2nd August 2026, 09:38 PM	#4
serdar Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Posts: 254	About translation Alah is visible but rest not so. Probably in the name of god, or similar phrase.

2nd August 2026, 11:00 PM	#5
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,420	If this is not Albanian, then where do you say it is from?

Yesterday, 07:01 PM	#6
serdar Member Join Date: Feb 2023 Posts: 254	I realy dont know why people call this kind of a dagger albanian, i saw it called like that on several sites, but then again people all over internet call 18/19 century jannisery kilij a pala and pala is a diferent kind of a sword. In albania weapons made in their workshops were a lower quality, so they mainly used those and for higher end pieces, import from bosnia, boka kotorska or greece, and neither in albania nor neighbours workshops did they made these daggers. Where is it from? I realy dont know, from some part of ottoman empire, maybe few examples in the past ended up in balkan area with invading ottomans, but i never saw one neither in museum, nor in annyone collection. For example zeybek yatagans, they came with invading ottoman armies, so there are few examples in museums in montenegro. There is also sirian dagger in silver, that people in many cases name albanian, but it has nothing to do with albania. Lots of daggers and swords from boka kotorska with marvelous silverwork were proclaimed persian, although they got nothing to do with persia. It originated from some were but from where, who would know.