Saber (Kilij) with Scabbard

Unknown

hilt and scabbard, 19th century; blade, probably late 18th–early 19th century · Steel, gold, horn (rhinoceros), wood, leather · Arms and Armor

This type of Ottoman saber, with its distinctive curled “pistol grip” and cruciform guard, was used throughout Turkey and North Africa from the eighteenth century. Following Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt in 1798, the type, widely referred to as a “Mamluk” saber, became popular for European and North American officers’ swords and remains in use today. The blade of this example bears the false signature of Haji Sunqur, a legendary swordsmith active in Istanbul in the early sixteenth century.

Artist

Unknown

Date

hilt and scabbard, 19th century; blade, probably late 18th–early 19th century

Medium

Steel, gold, horn (rhinoceros), wood, leather

Culture

Hilt, Turkish or North African; blade, Iranian

Department

Arms and Armor

Credit line

Bequest of George C. Stone, 1935