Original 19th Century Indo-Persian All Steel Tabar Battle Axe Original Items

Original Item: Only One Available. The tabar (also called tabarzin, which means “saddle axe”) is a type of battle axe. The term tabar is used for axes originating from the Ottoman Empire, Persia, Armenia, India and surrounding countries and cultures. As a loanword taken through Iranian Scythian, the word tabar is also used in most Slavic languages as the word for axe.

The tabarzin (saddle axe) (Persian: تبرزین‎; sometimes translated “saddle-hatchet”) is the traditional battle axe of Persia (Iran). It bears one or two crescent-shaped blades. The long form of the tabar was about seven feet long, while a shorter version was about three feet long. What makes the Persian axe unique is the very thin handle, which is very light and always metallic. The tabarzin was sometimes carried as a symbolic weapon by wandering dervishes (Muslim ascetic worshippers). The word tabar for axe was directly borrowed into Armenian as tapar (Armenian: տապար) from Middle Persian tabar, as well as into Proto-Slavonic as “topor” (*toporъ), the latter word known to be taken through Scythian, and is still the common Slavic word for axe.

This example came out of the back door of a museum in Europe many years ago. It dates to the 1800’s and could have originated anywhere from Western Persia to Eastern India. It looks like what we all imagined King Arthur’s Knights to have carried. It measures 31 1/2″ in overall length with a 8″ blade. The virtually semi-circular blade is covered in decorative engravings of flowers etc., It has a Spike on the top and an all iron/steel hollow shaft, typical of this type of axe.

On the back side of the blade there is a mounting for something else which is now missing and by looking at this we have no idea what this may have been. The metal surface is covered with old pitting scars however this presents very well and has a very romantic feel to it. The head is also somewhat loose on the shaft.

Ready to display!