Jambiya style knife

Freddy · 26th September 2005, 10:49 AM

I found this knife yesterday at a big antique market in Brugge (Belgium). The man who sold it to me knew very little about this weapon. He was told it came from Africa. He sold it together with a spear blade which was in fact a keris blade. So I don't think his information is very accurate.

The knife is forged in the same way as many African knives are forged. There is no actual middlerib. The blade seems to consist of two halves put together. In fact, it's made in one piece, but it looks that way. A lot of African blade are made in this fashion.
This could mean it's from Africa. What tribe or what region, I don't know. Probably a region where there was a big Arabic influence. Could even be Congo...?

On the other hand, as it was found together with a keris blade, it could also be Indonesian in origin. I know that jambiya type knives were found in Sumatra.

If someone has any suggestion, that would be great.

The knife measures 37 cm. The handle is 9,5 cm long and made of wood. It has some carved decoration. At the top of the handle, the 'butt' consists of a small roll of metal.
The size of the handle is too small to fit comfortably in my (European) hand. The blade is sharp on both sides.

26th September 2005, 10:49 AM	#1
Freddy Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sint-Amandsberg (near Ghent, Belgium) Posts: 830	Jambiya style knife I found this knife yesterday at a big antique market in Brugge (Belgium). The man who sold it to me knew very little about this weapon. He was told it came from Africa. He sold it together with a spear blade which was in fact a keris blade. So I don't think his information is very accurate. The knife is forged in the same way as many African knives are forged. There is no actual middlerib. The blade seems to consist of two halves put together. In fact, it's made in one piece, but it looks that way. A lot of African blade are made in this fashion. This could mean it's from Africa. What tribe or what region, I don't know. Probably a region where there was a big Arabic influence. Could even be Congo...? On the other hand, as it was found together with a keris blade, it could also be Indonesian in origin. I know that jambiya type knives were found in Sumatra. If someone has any suggestion, that would be great. The knife measures 37 cm. The handle is 9,5 cm long and made of wood. It has some carved decoration. At the top of the handle, the 'butt' consists of a small roll of metal. The size of the handle is too small to fit comfortably in my (European) hand. The blade is sharp on both sides.