Unrivaled Turkish sword with a unique design: “Yataghan”

Abstract

“Yataghan”, a unique and unparalleled sword design with its inverse curved or concave shape blade could be traced through the history back to the kurgan culture of the Central Asian steppes dating to 2000-3000 BCE. Widely used during the Ottoman period in the Anatolian penninsula and in the Balkans, it was a traditional weapon used by janissaries-Ottoman infantry soldiers, levents-Ottoman marines and zeibecks-chivalrous gangs of the Aegean Region. The typical inverse curved shape was found in the Northern Ordos bronze blades of the Hunnic-Turkic heritage and evolution of the form can be traced through the ages into the final destination into the town of Yatagan located in southwest Turkey, greater city of Denizli and the town is still very famous for its blacksmithing. Therefore, the 5000 years old tradition could be followed for yataghans based on archeological excavations in the Northern Ordos Region, the Syberian steppes and the Inner Mongolia. A detailed investigation on the geometrical shapes and forms of both “Yataghan” and “Kinglu” blades (The Northern Ordos bronze blades) could reveal the evolutionary progress of these swords during the ages.