A “Timurid” Saber from Samarkand

Abstract

Purpose. We describe an original saber discovered in Samarkand in 1969 during construction work in an old building. Presently, the saber is stored in a private collection. We determine the attribution and the time period for this sample of a long-blade weapon based on its features and available examples. Results. The saber features a sharp-triangle blade made of welded bulat “damask” and a bronze handle with a short C-style guard crowned with images of “dragons” and pommels in the form of the head of a bird of prey (possibly a falcon). The full length of the saber measures 91.0 cm with the length of the blade measuring 79.5 cm; width/thickness at the handle is 32.5 / 7.8 mm, in the middle – 28.8 / 5.6 mm, at 10 mm from the point – 10.0 / 2.6 mm; the hilt length – 14.3 cm (handle length – 11.5). The surface of the handle is adorned with three circles grouped as a triangle. The hilt weighs 350 g, the total weight of the saber being 1015 g. Conclusion. Most likely, the saber was made in Middle Asia between 15th – 17th centuries. The so called “Timur’s tamga” (three circles grouped as a triangle) could have been added either in the 15th century, or later (in the latter case, with the purpose of increasing its commercial value). It is less probable that the saber or its handle were produced in the Indian domains of the Babourides, who were descendants of Amir Timur, during the 16th – 17th centuries. The saber is a sufficiently rare example of a certain South-Asian influence on the array of arms used by warriors of Mā warāʼ an-Nahr during the late Middle Ages or early modern times. Due to few authentic samples of long-blade weapons from this period available to scientists, this specimen has a high scientific value.