Sword of a Beja tribesman, Sudan
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Sudanese man with sword (kaskara), 2013
http://bluenilstate.blogspot.com/2013/05/east-sudan-sword-and-culture.html
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Kaskara, 19th Century
Straight double edge blade, iron cross piece, grip partly covered with embossed sheet silver, leather pommel. Blade 35.5”.
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Mahdist warrior during the Mahdist War
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Sudanese Kaskara, 19th Century
Straight, double-edged blade of almost flat section, three central fullers and two crescents marked on both facets. Gray, non-ferrous metal, cross-shaped quillon, quillons ribbed and slightly enlarged toward the ends. Bone, cylindrical grip (veining) engraved with concentric circles. Wooden and metal, disk-pommel.
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Kaskara with Snake Fuller, 19th Century
Straight-bladed swords with cruciform guards and disk-shaped pommels, known as kaskaras, are typical of the Sahara region, particularly Sudan. While the hilt of this example was locally made, the fine blade of crucible (“watered”) steel is Iranian and bears the name of Nasir al-Din Shah Qajar, who ruled Iran from 1848 to 1896. This sword was taken as booty by the British general James Grenfell Maxwell at the battle of Omdurman, during the Mahdi uprising in Sudan, on September 2, 1898.
Date: hilt, late 19th century; blade, 1848–96
Culture: hilt, Sudanese; blade, Iranian
Medium: Steel, copper alloy, wood, leather, gold
Dimensions: L. 40 ½ in. (103 cm); L. of blade 34 11/16 in. (88 cm); Gr. W. of blade 1 ¾ in. (4.3 cm); W. of guard 6 ½ in. (16.5 cm); Wt. 2 lbs. 14 oz. (1304.1 g)
The double-headed snake fuller is incredible. According to the Instagram account of Sean Belair, the pommel is also a rattle!
HAMAA: Historical African Martial Arts Association is the place you wanna go if you’re interested in learning how to use a kaskara.
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