The Historical Alphabet/Qalam
Discovering something new about the world in which our ancestors lived—and our own today—is a truly exciting experience! To share this joy with our readers, the Qalam editorial staff, together with the technology company Citix @citix.me, has created a fascinating project of important and interesting historical facts collected in an alphabet. You can now see them on Citix city smartboards and read more on our website.
Narkesken
A Curved Kazakh Sword
The prototype of the Kazakh narkesken was the Arabian sword isfahani, which became the most famous weapon in the East in the eighth and ninth centuries. At first, the people of the steppe used imported and very expensive isfahani, but the blacksmiths of the Kazakh khanate later learned to make curved, sharp and strong sabers, which were named narkesken, which means ‘cutting a camel’. According to tradition, a narkesken could serve only one owner: once used in battle, it could not be sold or given away. However, a batyr (warrior) could pass it on to his son, brother, or grandson.
Glaive in bronze, China, the time of the combatant kingdoms. Paris, Cernuschi museum/Alamy
