| Yatagan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Two Ottoman yatagans, 19th century. | |
| Type | Hewing knife/sabre |
| Place of origin | Yatağan, Turkey |
| Service history | |
| In service | mid-16th–late 19th century |
| Used by | Ottoman Empire |
| Wars | Ottoman wars |
| Specifications | |
| Mass | ~0.85 kg (1.9 lb) |
| Length | ~0.75 m (2 ft 6 in) |
| Barrel length | ~0.60 m (2 ft 0 in) |
| Blade type | Single-edged, curved forward |
| Hilt type | Pronged sideways towards pommel, no guard; typically made from horn, bone, or metal (silver) |
The yatagan, yataghan, or ataghan (from Turkish yatağan),[1] also called varsak,[2] is a type of Ottoman knife or short sabre used from the mid-16th to late 19th century.[3] The yatagan was extensively used in Ottoman Turkey and in areas under immediate Ottoman influence, such as the Balkans, Caucasus, and North Africa.[4]
- ^ Merriam-Webster Online - Yataghan entry
- ^ "Kubbealti Dictionary - meaning of the word varsağı (varsak or varsagian), what is varsağı? (Turkish)". Kubbealti Lugati (Kubbealti Dictionary). Retrieved 2 September 2021.
- ^ Elgood, Robert (2009). Ta ópla tēs Elládas kai tōn balkanikṓn geitónōn tēs katá tēn othōmanikḗ período. Athena: Polaris. p. 138. ISBN 978-960-6829-12-3.
- ^ Stone, George Cameron (1999). A glossary of the construction, decoration, and use of arms and armor in all countries and in all times: together with some closely related subjects. Mineola, N.Y: Dover Publications. pp. 676–677. ISBN 978-0-486-40726-5.