This is a special one. He can feel it. Even before he pulls the shamshir, the Persian sabre, out of its sheath. He can feel its presence, even before he runs a finger across the blade. It seems as if the strength radiating from the blade is rippling its surface, in support of the one who carries it. He softly touches the steel. It is smooth and cool, despite the midday heat, which has made its way into the drafty halls of the bazaar of Mashhad, crowded with moving bodies and filled with the chatter of negotiations.
He takes a closer look. He was right: There is a subtle, wave-like pattern in the steel, fine dark lines that hint at a prestigious heritage. “True Damas steel,” says the merchant, as if reading his mind. He proudly points to an engraving at the shaft. Henri Moser recognizes the golden Persian letters and nods knowingly. He has already collected a few knives with the signature of the famous swordsmith Assad Ullah of Isfahan. Ullah’s workshop created famous oriental warrior gear to decorate and defend a man’s position with its outstanding beauty, sharpness and strength.
Rippled Water 这款军刀就是很好的例子。
“damas”一词在阿拉伯语中意为“水”，可能正是这款具有涟漪水纹图案的特殊军刀名称的来源。采用印度优质乌兹钢精制而成，在叙利亚大马士革武器贸易中心是一种常见的军刀。鉴于大马士革在西方贸易中的重要地位，这种军刀的名称中包含大马士革、水波纹和大马士革钢。尽管来自印度和波斯且失传已久的不锈钢刀刃锻造的确切技艺与流程属于高度机密，但事实上，早在 Henri 的马什哈德市集之旅以前，各种神话与传奇在西方已有流传。
高性能
为了展示军刀锋利的刀刃部分，商贩向空中抛出一条丝巾，然后手持军刀划过丝巾。只见丝巾分成两半，滑落在地上。尽管 Henri 已经看过几次这样的演示，但他依旧觉得很精彩。商贩看到 Henri 赞许的表情，露出自信的微笑，心中已然有所定论。这位陌生人将成为大马士革军刀的新主人。
新系列的崛起
Henri 开始探寻一些其他事物来提高自己的谈判地位。他享受这样的探索过程，并且对军刀及市场十分了解。起步价格通常都很高。尽管身穿东方服饰，来自瑞士沙夫豪森的旅行家和企业家 Henri Moser（Charlottenfels 庄园的拥有者）仍在波斯地区享负盛名。 Henri 把军刀紧紧贴在胸口，在察觉到人们的旁观与窃窃私语后，他离开了商品货摊。Henri 态度坚决。他着迷于军刀文化，也正是这些军刀古玩带领他第二次踏上此次亚洲之旅。
著名旅行作家与收藏家
Henri 拥有超过 1,300 种大马士革钢刀，这种精工锻造的著名东方武器将成为 Henri 的爱好之一。Henri 简要记录了在中亚地区的经历，这位冒险家变身成为热门旅行作家的先锋之一。Henri Moser 回到欧洲后，人们聚集在一起，聆听有关他冒险之旅的故事，并且亲眼目睹了精工大马士革刀的风采，以及欣赏了他在途中所获的丰富藏品。由于 Henri 愈发想知道自己是否能解开大马士革钢刀的制造秘法，所以他仍将回到亚洲继续他的探索旅程。
军刀的科学研究
Henri 有一名科学家朋友，这位朋友与他一样好奇钢刀的特殊成分之谜。在其收藏并且慷慨捐赠的珍贵刀刃中，Henri 能够辨认出含碳量高和添加特殊微量元素成分的刀刃。
A Surprising Discovery
But it won’t be until 2006 that scientists in Dresden make a breakthrough discovery with the samples of Henri’s sabres: The chemical mixture and treatment of the steel has created so-called carbon nanotubes. Running like fine but strong threads through the knife, they give the blade hardness and flexibility at the same time, and create a sort of self-sharpening function. Even though the original process of its creation has been long lost, the secret composition of the Damast steel is finally unveiled with the help of Henri’s treasures.
New Approaches to an Old Kind of Steel
Today, Henri Moser’s impressive collection is on view at the Bern Historic Museum in Switzerland. Meanwhile, many ways have been explored and found to create blades that carry the famous traits: Repeated heating and mechanical layering of different kinds of steel, and a mixture of various kinds of steel powders are popular methods to create today’s variations of Damast steel.
