tour 3 of 13
Sudan Past and Present: From the Islamic Period to the Modern World
Sword
The blade and guard of this Kaskara sword are
made of steel and the handle of silver. A silk tassel with silver
threads woven into it decorates the handle. The blade is in good
condition, apart from one horizontal crack. It has maker's
marks on one side, one of which contains the remains of a
copper-alloy inlay that has been hammered into the groove. An
Arabic inscription decorates both faces; one side reads:
'When he meets the enemies everywhere my sword will be the
executioner' and the other reads: 'A man of glory
and dignity is always the leader of his society'.
Conservators from the Sudan National Museum in Khartoum and the
British Museum worked together on the sword. A Sudanese conservator
cleaned the silver handle and a British Museum conservator cleaned
the steel blade, revealing the maker's
marks.
The sword belonged
to Nasir Mohamed, the Funj sultan from AD 1762 to 1769. The period
leading up to AD 1762 was an unsettled time for the Funj dynasty.
Despite the continued expansion of their territory, tension had
been mounting between the rulers and their warrior aristocracy for
several years. Rivals rose unsuccessfully against the Funj ruler
Badi III in the early eighteenth century but successfully against
his son Unsa III. Unsa's successor Nul (connected to the
Funj through his mother) and his son Badi IV ruled peacefully for
forty years. This ended when Badi was overthrown in 1762 by
Mohammed Abu Likaylik, a rival commander. Despite nominal rule by
the Funj sultans (including Nasir Mohamed) until 1821, the dynasty
had lost all real authority.