Sudanese kaskara sword – Mahdist revolt with lizard skin mountings

Sudanese kaskara sword – a fascinating sword from the Mahdist rebellion period in Sudan. The sword is mounted in a large lizard skin which covers the entire sword scabbard. The head of the lizard appears just below the sword sheath entrance, a pair of hind legs survive further down the length of the sword. A large hanging mount survives also midway down the sheath. The blade of this sword is very attractive – etched with panels of Sudanese Arabic calligraphy known as Thuluth which generally are believed to embue the sword with magical properties. The crosspiece of this sword is of iron, and the grip and pommel again covered with lizard skin. The sword originally probably had two additional knives to the sheath which are missing, these would have fed through the two slight opening that can be seen when the scabbard is side on.  This and the second crocodile kaskara offered on this site came from an old collection in the UK.