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.
Ottoman
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.
Rock Island Premier Auction: Golden 7.65mm Tariqs, IMI Uzi ‘Sale Samples’, and More
The catalog of the upcoming Rock Island Premier Gun auction is published and we thoroughly browsed it to find the lots that are related to Silah Report’s research areas, MENA and Central Asia. We found six such lots which we’ll present to you in this article. Our list below goes in no particular order. It includes the lot names, images and the auction house’s description. The lot names are also linked to the corresponding pages in Rock Island Premier Gun Auction catalog.