During of researching one of the private Balkan collections, we found an interesting shashka with a Turkish sabre's blade.
The shashka handle is made of white metal, decorated using engraving and niello technique.
The pattern of the ornament is typical for Caucasian shashkas made on the territory of the Ottoman Empire in the 1870-1900's.
This shashka blade belongs to a well-known type of the blades of Turkish sabres called "Kilij". Distinctive features of such blades are the characteristic geometry with a fairly significant curve, the structure of the fullers and the pronounced yelman.
On shashka type swords these blades are extremely rare.
It can be assumed that the owner of this shashka served in the army of the Ottoman Empire, but was not a muhajir from the Caucasus. Caucasian shashkas also were in seldom use in Minor Asia among the Greeks and other peoples who inhabited this region, as well as in the Balkans.
