An Ethiopian gurade - SOLD

A single-edged gurade sword or sabre from Ethiopia in its rawhide scabbard.
 
The strongly curved blade has a single fuller running down each side and appears to have been forged from an  old file or rasp. It has minimal corrosion and still firmly in the handle. The handle is made of two sections of horn with a patterned brass pommel cap. There is some worm damage to one end of the handle near the blade (visible in the photos). The leather scabbard retains traces of embossed decoration. The scabbard has been cut through in places by the edge of the blade and has lost some material at the tip. 
 
Blade length: 84 cm
Overall length: 95 cm
Early 20th, possibly late 19th century