What can anyone tell me about this?

[Jim McDougall]

Gary,
I am glad you were able to get this interesting dagger! Also, your oversight in the post was just that, and I commend you for your sincerity in acknowledging the error. With that out of the way, I would like to note that I do not believe this blade has anything to do with a spear blade either.

More important, that marking. While I had originally thought this might represent a snake, in seeing it closer, I believe this image may represent an unusual weapon known in the Sudan. This was typically regarded as a ritual knife (detail beyound that is unclear) and comprised two reversed curve iron blades on either end of a central handle, a particularly wicked looking weapon with the blades typically etched with 'thuluth' script. These opposed blade weapons are apparantly derived from a Rajput weapon of this form termed a 'haladie' (Stone p.275, Egerton 390) and are noted to still have been in use in Syria in 20th c. This reference to Syria might account for the diffusion of this weapon into North Africa.

In any case, it is known that such markings often represent significant material objects, in this case possibly alluding to one of these 'ritual daggers' to suggest more elevated status for this weapon itself.
In its size, does this appear to be of the size for an arm dagger?

Best regards,
Jim