Weaponry was as much a part of courtly life as it was a part of combat, and many weapons were made as presentation pieces rather than for use on the battlefield. This sword, known in Turkish as a yataghan, was likely a showpiece carried by a Janissary, a member of the elite Ottoman troops. Embellished with gold and paired with an impressed leather scabbard, the sword features a bifurcated handle made of walrus tusk, an uncommon material in the Islamic world that may have come from Russia, which borders walrus habitats in the Arctic Ocean. The blade of this sword is is inscribed as follows: "made by al-Hajji Sharif; its owner is ‘Ali-Agha in 1140 [AH/ 1727-8]."