Ceremonial tabar

This 19th century tabar - or saddle axe - is of Persian origin. During the 17th and 18th centuries, the tabar was a standard weapon given to calvalrymen on the field of battle. The tabar would have been carried under the horseman's saddle.   This tabar is ornately decorated, which points to its use as a ceremonial weapon rather than one for the battlefield. It features 3 gold figures within a gold panel surround on the axe head, chiselled floral designs, spiked haft inscribed with letters, and ornament of a Persian building attached to the haft.