A silver-mounted Sudanese kaskara - SOLD

The straight, double-edged blade has a single fuller down the full length of each side. There is some old pitting and corrosion at the tip of the blade, but otherwise it's in good condition. As can be seen from the photos the blade cants slightly towards one side of the longitudinal axis. However, as it otherwise sits very firmly and securely, with no movement or wobbling, it's likely that this is how it was originally bound into the hilt. It is unfortunately missing its scabbard.
 
Kaskaras with silver-mounted hilts are generally considered to hail from Darfur in the far west of the Sudan. It is perhaps worth noting that the region in question is about the size of Spain, and was an independent sultanate until the fall of Ali Dinar in 1916. 
 
Kaskaras are interesting in that, while they are clearly derived from medieval Arabic broadswords, in the same way as certain straight-bladed swords from Yemen and Oman, there is a case to be made that these medieval Arabic swords are themselves continuations of earlier Byzantine sword types from the IXth and Xth centuries. The pommels on these silver mounted kaskara are particularly similar to swords from Garabonc-1, Abritus, and Serçe Limani for example, which have pommels of flattened spherical form with a small button at the apex. In kaskara such as this one, the forms have been exaggerated with the flattened sphere becoming even more flattened, while the  pommel button has been drawn out into a decorative finial. Moreover, the defining characteristic of these Byzantine pommels is that they form a hollow metal sleeve enclosing the pommel and the top of the hilt. Although the technique used in these kaskara hilts is somewhat different, the visual effect remains the same. At the same time, it is an oft-forgotten fact that at one time the Sudan was home to several early medieval Christian kingdoms with close cultural and artistic ties to Byzantium. As a result, when one holds a sword like this one, there is a very tangible sense of faint echoes from the deep and shadowy past.
 
 
Blade length: 88.5 cm
Overall length: 105 cm
Late 19th century (Crossguard probably a later replacement)