Ottoman Yataghan

This is the earliest known Imperial Ottoman yataghan believed to have been commissioned by Sultan Bayezid II (r. 1481-1512 CE). The yataghan is a distinctly Turkish weapon that was used by elite troops of the Ottoman army (Janissaries) from the mid-15th to 19th century CE. A cross between a knife and a sword, this yataghan has a single-edged blade, fashioned from crucible steel, with a marked forward curve and a hilt formed of two dark wooden plaques. The pommel is decorated with gold sheets of finely worked flowers and medallions with niello patterning. An imposing inscription executed in fine thuluth script in gold overlay appears on both sides of the blade and along its spine, remarkably bearing the names of the Sultan, its owner, maker and benedictory inscriptions enumerating the Sultan’s attributes. Most intriguing is the yataghan’s owner, Hersekzade Ahmad Pacha (1456-1517 CE). Originally a Serbian nobleman who converted to Islam, Hersekzade was the younger son of the Grand Duke of Herzegovina. He served under both Ottoman Sultans Mehmed II (1432-1481 CE) - known commonly as Mehmed the Conqueror - and Bayezid II, and held various important posts including Sancakbeg of Bursa, Beglerbeg of Anatolia, and later, Grand Vizier. He was also married to Bayezid II’s daughter. His numerous accomplishments warranted the recognition that was undoubtedly reflected in the royal commissioning of this presentation sword, which was certainly made in the royal metal workshops in Istanbul where, to date, three other comparably embellished yataghans were known to have been produced; this group includes one currently in the Topkapi Sarayi Museum, the Furusiyya Art Foundation and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.