Ottoman Yatagan

A good example of a 19th century Yatagan, with horn handle and brass mounting. These were extensively used in Ottoman Turkey and in areas under immediate Ottoman influence, such as the Balkans and the Caucasus. This is an honest fighting blade with little ornate detailing.

These were tradionally used by jannisaries, but also by other infantry soldiers. They were smaller and lighter than ordinary swords so as not to hinder them when carried at the waist on the march. However, they were also status symbols in times of peace, and were carried in a similar way to how smallswords were worn in 18th-century Western Europe.