mamluk khanjar ??

[Aqtai]

In his L'art arabe, E. Prisse D'Avennes has a picture of weapons and a helmet which he attributes to Tumanbay II, the last Mamluk sultan of Egypt, who was executed by the Ottomans in 1517. Among the weapons is a dagger. I have no idea if these really are the arms of Tumanbay or where they are now, but here is the picture:


On a side issue, The Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo has a sword attributed to Sultan Tumanbay I, who reigned in 1501 for about 3 months.

Edit: Rivkin, I've just recognised that picture of yours, that's in the military museum in Cairo. Interesting Museum, it has some good stuff, a lot of rubbish and a lot of very dodgy captions.

[Marc]

Thank you, Rivkin.
Much appreciated.

[Aqtai]

Isn't anyone going to comment on that picture of a possible Mamluk khanjar?

I would love to know if other people know a bit more about that picture, or about Mamluk daggers in general. Are there any in the Topkapi for instance?

[B.I]

Originally Posted by Aqtai

Isn't anyone going to comment on that picture of a possible Mamluk khanjar?

I would love to know if other people know a bit more about that picture, or about Mamluk daggers in general. Are there any in the Topkapi for instance?

hi aqtai,
these daggers, shown in your image, are of a 'common' type. i use the word common lightly, as they are rare, but do exist in enough numbers to research.
they are thought, in style, to originate in iran from the 15thC and replicated (or adapted) in style by the ottomans and later, indians.
they exist during the mamluk period, so you would think this could be a candidate for the weapon discussed.
however, these were all very ornate and many exist in european collections, having been given as court gifts, especially during the sulyman period. due to the high level of workmanship, i find it very hard to believe they were thrown, as mentioned by krill. i have a feeling he was hinting at a more 'useful' weapon.
i have many images of this blade type i can try and dig up.

[Aqtai]

Originally Posted by B.I

hi aqtai,
these daggers, shown in your image, are of a 'common' type. i use the word common lightly, as they are rare, but do exist in enough numbers to research.
they are thought, in style, to originate in iran from the 15thC and replicated (or adapted) in style by the ottomans and later, indians.
they exist during the mamluk period, so you would think this could be a candidate for the weapon discussed.
however, these were all very ornate and many exist in european collections, having been given as court gifts, especially during the sulyman period. due to the high level of workmanship, i find it very hard to believe they were thrown, as mentioned by krill. i have a feeling he was hinting at a more 'useful' weapon.
i have many images of this blade type i can try and dig up.

Oh well, that clears that up then.

Its funny but I don't actually recall ever seeing a Mamluk dagger, although I have seen lots of Mamluk swords, axes and maces in books. Mind you it's been years since I set foot in a museum (KIDS! ). I'll have to dig up those photos i took in the Topkapi years ago.

[B.I]

hi aqtai,
examples of your dagger.

[Aqtai]

Cheers B.I., thanks for that.

The great Mamluk khanjar mystery still remains unsolved though.