Yatağan Swords
Art and arms might seem contradictory concepts, but
like all human artifacts weapons have been a vehicle for artistic
expression. Theswords of many types and periods which we see in museums
today have often been transformed into objects of such beauty by the
craftsmen who made them that we forget they were instruments of war. The
Yatağan, a type of Turkish sword (which indeed became known in other
countries as the 'Turkish sword') used from the mid-16th to late 19th
centuries, was decorated with the same degree of craftsmanship as used to
ensure the strength and sharpness of its blade.
The Yatağan is distinguishable from other types of
swords by various characteristics. The pommel of the bone, horn, ivory or
silver hiltspreads out in two wings to either side, a feature which
prevents the sword slipping out of the hand in battle. A broad thick metal
band covers the join between the hilt and blade. The richest Yatağans have
hilts of silver or copper gilt set with coral, emeralds, rubies and other
precious stones, and similar decoration adorns the scabbards. Yatağan
blades vary from 60 to 80 cm in length and are slightly curved towards the
sharp edge. While the back of the blade is made of iron, the sharp edge is
made of steel for strength. The flat of the blade is frequently engraved
or inlaid with motifs or inscriptions, the latter sometimes literary, such
as a line of poetry or reference to an epic legend, sometimes religious in
content, such as a verse from the Koran or a prayer, and sometimes words
expressing the thoughts of the sword's owner. There may also be the mark
of the sword smith, the declaration of God's unity, and words identifying
the ruler of the time and wishing him victorious. Often the blade also has
a Seal of Solomon motif consisting of a star formed by two superimposed
triangles.The damascened inlay work on these swords was
executed by engraving the design or inscription, filling the grooves with
molten gold or silver, and finally grinding the surface smooth. Another
method used for silver decoration was to lay fine silver wire to form the
outline of the design, and it is this technique which is found most
frequently on Yatağan blades. A single sword was created by a number of
craftsmen, each specialising in a particular field. While one made the
iron and steel blade, another made the hilt, another the scabbard, and
still another did the decoration, which as well as engraving and inlaying,
included filigree and granulation. The amount of decoration and use of
precious metals and stones depended, of course, on what the owner could
afford. Yatağans were therefore often works of art that arouse our
admiration today.
Scabbard tips were reinforced to prevent the sword
piercing the sheath, and decorated in the form of dragon, eagle or serpent
heads. The Yatağans used by janissaries and other infantry soldiers were
smaller and lighter than ordinary swords so as not to hinder them when
carried at the waist on the march.
Since the edge was extremely sharp, the way it was
wielded also differed, and when a swordsman was stronger than his
opponent, he would fight with the back of the blade rather than the edge.
There are two theories about the origin of the term
Yatağan, a word deriving from the Turkish verb yatmak, meaning to lie
down. One theory is that it was placed flat in the leather bandolier used
by the janissaries, and also held flat when in use. The second theory,
which is considered most likely, is that it is named after the town of
Yatağan in southwest Turkey which was conquered by a Seljuk commander and
blacksmith named Osman Bey, whose cognomen was Yatağan Baba. Yatağan Baba
later settled there, and gave his name not only to the town, but to the
famous swords which were produced there. The swords of Yatağan are
frequently mentioned in historic books and documents, and confirm oral
accounts of the town's history, although Yatağans were also made in all
the major cities of the Ottoman Empire, particularly Istanbul, Bursa and
Plovdiv. During the conquest of Istanbul the Ottoman army was supplied
with gunpowder from Yatağan, whose sword smiths also made other types of
swords and daggers. For centuries iron forging was the mainstay of the
town's economy, the smiths working in forges on the ground floors or next
to their houses. Although today the people of Yatağan no longer make the
swords for which they were famous in the past, this is still one of
Turkey's most important centres of knife making. Here you open the door of
one of the old-fashioned forges where the heat of the fire is raised by
traditional bellows, to see a white haired and bearded blacksmith beating
a redhot iron blade on the anvils, and his elderly wife swinging her
hammer alongside her husband. The handmade blades, which they produce, are
of a quality and beauty that no modern machine can match.
By ABDULLAH KILIÇ*
Photos
ASLAN YAVUZ
* Abdullah Kiliç is a journalist
Source: Skylife 08/2001
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