Ottoman dagger-knife?

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Dom

Hi Chregu
comments (who involve ... only me ...);
- the blade looks more Indo-Persian than Ottoman
- the "cross" on top of the handle ... difficult to imagine, that this dagger was belonging to a Muslim
- the handle design is more in Asia-Minor style than Turkish
- for the age, I guess ± 19th C.
appreciation;
- very attractive dagger, I like the blade and the handle's decor and appreciable that the scabbard been present and in good condition
nice catch ... congratulations

à +

Dom

Salaams Dom~
I think that is an interesting point about the cross~ However I dont think it is what you suggest. The cross is a form used to illustrate a welcome sign and seen on carpets especially near or on the "Yurt" tent door (Katchli or Hutchlu designs) I also see this style of what could be crossed arrows on textiles and rugs from the Caucasus. Interestingly there are 33 grooves etched into the quadrangle and as 33 is the short number for the Muslim religious prayer words(Quranic Names) and 99 in the expanded version ( same for the prayer beads ) Not withstanding that the hilt is decorated in a series of geometric placed studs in the figure 5 format often seen in Islamic work depicting the hand of fatima (5 fingers). Thus we seem to have an Islamic dagger.
Regards
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.