129897_auctions-imperial-2018-arms-and-armor-november/
Lot 378:
Description
The handwrought, bearded steel blade with flanged bronze poll, inscribed on the left: MALIK AL SULTAN ALI DINAR 121 (1786/7 c.e.) and on the right: AL SULTAN MUHAMMAD AL-FAZAL IBN AL SULTAN ZAKARIYA, the title and lineage of Sultan Ali Dinar of Darfur (r.1891-1916,) the date commemorating the rise of his ancestor, Muhammad II Tairab, to the throne of Darfur. On its leather-covered wooden haft, the silver mounts with beaded borders, and a tuft of fur. End of the 19th c. Minor wear. Sultan Ali Dinar was highly regarded in the Dar al Islam, and sided with his Ottoman coreligionists during WWI. As a result, Darfur was invaded by British forces; Ali Dinar was killed in battle in 1916 (image not included in this lot.) Another, quite similar, axe is preserved in the Sultan Ali Dinar Museum, El-Fasher, Sudan. Overall length 64cm. Condition III
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