Old Khyber

[mariusgmioc]

Originally Posted by ariel

So, one thing is clear: the etching was made by a Farsi-speaking person. Whether he was an itinerant master from Iran or a Persianized Afghani is unclear. In any case, it may explain the human figure and ,- perhaps,- the date of 1850 in Persian calendar Jalali.

I beg to differ! Nothing is clear. The one who made the etching could have been simply copying it 1:1 from somewhere else.

[Jim McDougall]

I think this is a strong case, again, for this weapon bearing a commemorative inscription. While the original text or example of the wording being copied was possibly (or more likely) to have been applied by someone not necessarily fluent or even familiar with the Farsi language, it does suggest the intent.
The individual applying the wording to the host weapon, by the crude character of the motif, certainly was not a master craftsman of Persia or anywhere for that matter. However, it seems a sincere attempt to portray a traditional or highly held wording of Farsi, as noted.

Inscriptions in these languages and phrases surely have been used on other Khyber's of course, but the use of acid etching is unusual as we have discussed.

[ariel]

Rephrasing my conclusion: the use of Farsi defines the etcher and/ or the owner as belonging to Persianized Afghani tribe.

Marius: is that better?

[ariel]

OK, final summary.
1. We have already established that the sword in question is an Afghani khyber.
2. It has a deep etching in Farsi, and the dating in Jalali puts it somewhere in the third quarter of 19th century.
The remaining questions were:
a). Meaning of the inscription
b). Uncertainty whether Persian technique of deep etching was used on Afghani swords.

Recent info:
Parents of my other informer ( both former professors of Persian literature and linguistics respectively) were able to read only part of the inscription due to imperfections of the etching technique. It is in ancient Farsi.
Not unexpectedly, just like in my other khyber ( inscription was done using gold wire unlay and easily readable), this is just an unrelated verse.



On the khyber in question is a quote from Sa'adi's Golestan.
"A king placed his son in a school,
Putting in his lap a silver tablet
Wrote on it in golden letters:
The hard work of a teacher is better than the love of a father."

As expected, nothing about the sword itself, just some morality verse.

As to the technique, I am attaching pics of an Afghani pseudo-shashka with deep etching on both sides along the entire length of the blade. Did not even ask to translate it: everybody is free to choose his favourite Sa'adi's verse:-)
But the bottom line, deep etching can be found on other examples of typical Afghani weapons. They might be infrequent, but they do exist.

So, my conclusion: Afghani Khyber mid-late 19th century, with deep-etching decoration in Farsi, quoting almost sacred Farsi poetry, intended for a Persianized Afghani.

[mahratt]

In the early 20th century, acid etching can see on Afghan blades made for the army. But! This acid etching is very different from what we see on the discussed Khyber knife. So a this shashka with acid etching made for the army is not a correct example.

[ariel]

Well, to re-summarize;
First, the French word "ancien (old) is incorrectly translated as " ancient". After which the seller is accused in not mentioning that the etching was done at the end of 20th century, with no objective evidence to prove the accusation. Upon realization that this interpretation was wrong, this issue slithered away.

Second, there are repeat assertions that deep etching was not used by Afghani masters. Having been presented with an unquestionable example, the tune is changed and now etching WAS actually done at the beginning of 20th century, and the presented example does not count.

That is exactly what I was talking about: Everybody is entitled to his opinions but not to his facts.
And some knowledge of foreign languages doesn't hurt either:-)

[mahratt]

I see a lot of opinions on this topic))) Starting with the fact that the Khyber knife that we are discussing is "oldest dated Khyber"))) Now, as I understand it, views have changed a bit. And according to the new version, this Khyber knife "is made in the mid-late 19th century"))) Maybe this is so. Or maybe it was made in the early 20th century. Or maybe it was decorated with acid etching 10 years ago) All this is only our thoughts

[ariel]

The original stated “ the oldest dated khyber that I know”: 1813 H or 1850 J , not too shabby....
Folks, can you show me a khyber reliably dated prior to those dates using the same calendar?

[mahratt]

Originally Posted by ariel

The original stated “ the oldest dated khyber that I know”: 1813 H or 1850 J , not too shabby....
Folks, can you show me a khyber reliably dated prior to those dates using the same calendar?

I'm not home right now, so I'm posting photos from Arzi's website. I bought this Khyber knife many years ago. It dates back to 1805.
http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=2788
By the way, this Khyber knife is published in my book.