African (?) -- from where?

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by roanoa

The scabbard is in brass. The blade has Kuranic writing. So, my guess would be that it came to Eritrea from across the Sudanese border. The Eritrean Beni-Amer and Beja nomads know no boundaries. Especially 100 years + ago. So the question really is: is this knife it Eritrean or Sudanese? I believe that it is the PLACE where it was found and not the place where it was made that will establish that. Otherwise, half of my Ethiopian swords would have to be called European..... Cheers, RON

Interesting
And IF the blade was Sudanese?
and the knife Erytrean?
It will be an Erytrean knife with a Sudanese blade.
The scabbard looks Syrian but in fact influenced by Yemen.
Yemen and Syria were both under Ottoman influence.

[roanoa]

Abyssinia was greatly influenced by the Arabian Peninsula. Mostly Yemen. The Italian bought the Bay of Assab (their first foothold into the Horn of Africa) from a Yemeni Sheik. The Abyssinian silverwork was almost exclusively of Yemeni design, if not imported directly from Yemen. So were the sword decorations. It is no surprise that the brass scabbard of the knives in question show influence from across the Red Sea.

[Rafngard]

Hello All,

I have no idea about the quite lovely dagger. For now at least, it's outside my area of interest.

However, I did study the Somali Language for a couple years in college with a brilliant teacher, poet, and filmmaker from Hargeysa (he goes by "Macaalin Saciid," or "Teacher Saciid"). More than once he talked about the close cultural connection between Northern Somalia and Yemen. It is said that along the Northern Coast of Somali, when it's quiet, you can sometimes hear them singing in Yemen.

Is it true?
I have no idea.
But it is rather poetic, isn't it?

Have fun,
Leif