To the Question of the Origin of Yatagan

This article examines the historical origins and early development of the yatagan, a distinctive Ottoman concave-bladed weapon traditionally associated with Janissaries and Balkan highlanders. Drawing upon narrative sources, iconography, museum collections, etymological evidence, and Ottoman legal documents, the study reassesses long-standing debates concerning the genealogy, chronology, and cultural transmission of this iconic blade. The research challenges the widespread assumption that the yatagan was a long-established mass weapon of the 16th–17th centuries. A systematic review of European travel accounts, Ottoman military treatises, and visual materials from the late 17th century reveals the absence of clear evidence for widespread use before the first quarter of the 18th century. Early textual references consistently describe the yatagan not as a saber, but as a “large knife” or cutlass-type blade. This terminological consistency is demonstrated through comparative analysis of French, Italian, Turkish, and Slavic lexicographic sources. Special attention is devoted to the term varsak, documented in Ottoman sources of the 17th century as a type of blade associated with Turkmen tribes of Asia Minor. The article explores possible links between the emergence of the yatagan and Turkmen-Qizilbash tribal groups, including Varsak and Tekke communities. Evidence from court craftsmen, regional toponyms, ethnographic survivals, and the distribution of early specimens suggests a Turkmen rather than Balkan origin. The study further addresses the hypothesis that the Balkan karakulak was not a local precursor but a derivative form introduced through Ottoman expansion. By integrating weapon typology, etymology, legal history, and ethnographic context, this work contributes to broader discussions on Ottoman military culture, Turkmen material heritage, and the dynamics of cultural transmission in the early modern Eastern Mediterranean.