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kilij
EntityQ1357876· pop 17· linked from 152 articles

thumb|Various kilij from the Hellenic War Museum (Athens, Greece) thumb|upright=0.6|Ottoman kilij 19th century; this type with a short, broad blade is known as a "pala"; blade, total. A kilij (from Turkish kılıç, literally "sword") is a type of one-handed, single-edged and curved scimitar used by the Seljuk Empire, Timurid Empire, Mamluk Empire, Ottoman Empire, and other Turkic khanates of Eurasian steppes and Turkestan. These blades developed from earlier Turko-Mongol sabers that were in use in lands controlled or influenced by the Turkic peoples.

~11 min read

Encyclopedic overview

9 sections
Contents
  • History
  • Etymology
  • Origins
  • Evolution of the Ottoman kilij
  • Adoption by Western armed forces
  • Terminology
  • See also
  • Notes
  • References

thumb|Various kilij from the Hellenic War Museum (Athens, Greece) thumb|upright=0.6|Ottoman kilij 19th century; this type with a short, broad blade is known as a "pala"; blade, total. A kilij (from Turkish kılıç, literally "sword") is a type of one-handed, single-edged and curved scimitar used by the Seljuk Empire, Timurid Empire, Mamluk Empire, Ottoman Empire, and other Turkic khanates of Eurasian steppes and Turkestan. These blades developed from earlier Turko-Mongol sabers that were in use in lands controlled or influenced by the Turkic peoples.

== History == thumb|The upper sword appears to be an exaggerated parade piece or executioner's sword, the second down is typical of a later kilij, the third has the characteristics of an earlier kilij and the lowest one possibly has a later European-style blade. Imperial Armoury, Topkapi, Istanbul

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “kilij” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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