By 1879, the so-called Great Game between the Russian Empire and Great Britain over Central-Asia entered one of its final phases after the British victory in the Second Anglo-Afghan War. In the web of diplomatic and political maneuvers so apparent during this turbulent period, it was of paramount importance for the British Crown to keep the Russians at bay and reduce their influence on Afghanistan as much as possible. In this article, we will examine the markings on Afghanistan’s indigenously produced rifles.
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A Brief History of the Ramadan Cannon
The sun slips slowly and majestically behind the horizon, heralding the end of the Muslim fast. Yet another day on the Ramadan-calendar crossed out. Since everything in this day and age runs like clockwork, fasting Muslims glance impatiently at their watches and clocks spread throughout the house awaiting that exact time of the sun’s setting. Historically, however, there has been another, louder, more spectacular method of announcing ifṭār – the firing of a cannon.
Stars and Rifles Part 1: Ottoman Hexagram Proof Marks
One of the peculiarities of a front line soldier’s life throughout the history of increasingly intense warfare is the heightened susceptibility to superstition and the supernatural, expressed through a plethora of different talismans, charms and other curious oddities. One might think of the strange British Touch Wud [wood] charms of World War I, the lucky rabbit feet worn by American soldiers in Vietnam or Japanese charm pouches worn during World War II. It is a common occurrence across all civilizations to feel shielded by the pretense of spiritual protection, as fleeting and illusory as it may seem. When the flesh is at its most vulnerable, man seeks different ways to somewhat dampen the fear for the imminent threat of death and disfigurement.