Khyber knife?

Interested Party · 12th February 2021, 01:13 PM

Go to "Ethnographic Weapons" third post down. You will have to resize your pictures to less than 1280 on the largest side.

Sorry duplicate instructions. Delete if possible.

Skiendubh · 19th March 2021, 01:54 AM

Here is the picture of my "Khyber"? knife. Hopefully someone will recognize what it is.

Jim McDougall · 20th March 2021, 12:30 PM

Welcome to the forum! Excellent pen name, skean dubh!!!

Your weapon is of course the well known Afghan 'Khyber knife', which is an odd term as these are essentially deadly short swords and often quite large, far beyond the 'knife' description.

In the Afghan regions, these were used by various tribes throughout the Khyber Agency of the British Raj, which while including the Khyber Pass proper, also the surrounding regions. So it is difficult to assign a specific region or tribe to single weapons unless there is specific motif in decoration.

These were used throughout the 19th century and well into modern times, but remain indigenous to Afghanistan, where locally they are termed 'silliwar', hence the colloquial British term 'salawar yataghan'.

Yours is probably end of 19th c.into 20th and used tribally during the many Afghan wars and insurgences from 1879 onward. The use of these is most well known with the Afridi and Waziri tribes, and are mentioned as Khyber knives by Kipling in his well known prose.

David R · 20th March 2021, 04:29 PM

It's not a typical piece certainly.... but you do get a fair bit of variation with tribal weapons. The hilt makes me suspect that it was made closer to central Asia than those usually seen.

Saracen · 20th March 2021, 05:02 PM

On the blade there is a hole near the hilt.
Perhaps this means reusing the blade,
and explains the not a typical form blade for this Khyber knife
the hole is a trace from the langeta of the hilt of the Khanda or Firangi sword (?)

Ren Ren · 21st March 2021, 12:29 AM

Holes like this make me strongly associate with Soviet provincial museums. Through them, objects were attached to the wall so that they would not be stolen.

Saracen · 21st March 2021, 12:41 AM

Yes), and at the bottom right in the photo is the bolt with which this khyber knife was attached to the wall)

12th February 2021, 01:13 PM	#1
Interested Party Member Join Date: Dec 2019 Location: Eastern Sierra Posts: 491	Go to "Ethnographic Weapons" third post down. You will have to resize your pictures to less than 1280 on the largest side. Sorry duplicate instructions. Delete if possible. Last edited by Interested Party; 12th February 2021 at 01:16 PM. Reason: No longer relevant

19th March 2021, 01:54 AM	#2
Skiendubh Member Join Date: Jan 2021 Posts: 5	Khyber knife? Here is the picture of my "Khyber"? knife. Hopefully someone will recognize what it is. Attached Images

20th March 2021, 05:02 PM	#5
Saracen Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 147	On the blade there is a hole near the hilt. Perhaps this means reusing the blade, and explains the not a typical form blade for this Khyber knife the hole is a trace from the langeta of the hilt of the Khanda or Firangi sword (?) Last edited by Saracen; 20th March 2021 at 08:11 PM.

20th March 2021, 12:30 PM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,189	Welcome to the forum! Excellent pen name, skean dubh!!! Your weapon is of course the well known Afghan 'Khyber knife', which is an odd term as these are essentially deadly short swords and often quite large, far beyond the 'knife' description. In the Afghan regions, these were used by various tribes throughout the Khyber Agency of the British Raj, which while including the Khyber Pass proper, also the surrounding regions. So it is difficult to assign a specific region or tribe to single weapons unless there is specific motif in decoration. These were used throughout the 19th century and well into modern times, but remain indigenous to Afghanistan, where locally they are termed 'silliwar', hence the colloquial British term 'salawar yataghan'. Yours is probably end of 19th c.into 20th and used tribally during the many Afghan wars and insurgences from 1879 onward. The use of these is most well known with the Afridi and Waziri tribes, and are mentioned as Khyber knives by Kipling in his well known prose.

20th March 2021, 04:29 PM	#4
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,116	It's not a typical piece certainly.... but you do get a fair bit of variation with tribal weapons. The hilt makes me suspect that it was made closer to central Asia than those usually seen.

21st March 2021, 12:29 AM	#6
Ren Ren Member Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Russia, Moscow Posts: 379	Holes like this make me strongly associate with Soviet provincial museums. Through them, objects were attached to the wall so that they would not be stolen.

21st March 2021, 12:41 AM	#7
Saracen Member Join Date: Oct 2015 Posts: 147	Yes), and at the bottom right in the photo is the bolt with which this khyber knife was attached to the wall)