A superb saber presented by the Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz to Brigadier General Ali Pasha in 1868. The hilt comprising a grip carved of a single large section of banded agate, the rolled pommel set with rubies in high-karat gold and carved overall in flowering vine motifs, the tombak guard chiseled in relief en suite with the grip, retaining its silver and gilt sword knot. The long, lightly-curved blade wrought of fine, faintly visible wootz, with a broad fuller at the center and a narrower, finely outlined, fuller along the spine, terminating in a scrolled yelman chiseled in relief, developing into a long, graceful back edge. The forte finely chiseled in relief with inscriptions on each side for approximately a third of its length, the background paved entirely in gold, intricately engraved with vines and sprigs. On the left side is inscribed in Arabic
a poem by Ka’b ibn Zuhayr, famed seventh century Arab poet and one of the Sahabah (companions) of the Prophet Muhammad: THE PROPHET IS A SHINING SWORD—THE FINEST INDIAN STEEL DRAWN FROM THE BLADES OF ALLAH. On the right is inscribed in Ottoman: YEAR 1285 (1868 c.e.) COMMANDER OF THE BOSNIAN REGIMENTS AND MILITARY DIVISION HEAD OF BOSNIA BRIGADIER ALI PASHA.
Dated 1868. Light wear, blade slightly age-toned. Ali Pasha was born Ludwig Karl Friedrich Detroit in Magdeburg, Prussia in 1827. He ran away to sea in 1843 at age 16; while in the Ottoman Empire, he embraced Islam. In 1846, he was given a military school scholarship by the Ottoman Grand Vizier. He became a commissioned officer in 1853 and saw service against Imperial Russia during the Crimean War. He was promoted to Brigadier General and Pasha in 1865. He fought again during the Russo-Turkish War of 1887-88, where he was noted for bravery on the River Lom. Brigadier Ali Pasha participated in the Congress of Berlin in 1878 and was killed in action the same year while defending himself and his officers against an overwhelmingly superior force of Albanian partisans in the Balkans. The Ottoman Sultan Abdulaziz ruled from 1861-1876. Images of Mirliva Ali Pasa and the Congress of Berlin (Ali Pasha at far right) are for reference only and are not included in this lot. We are grateful to Mr. Mehmet Altintas for his kind assistance in interpreting the inscriptions. Overall length 98cm. Condition II