Three Kindjals - Why Armenian or Cossack?

[Rivkin]

Sorry for the grammar in the previous letter - it gets really bad when I'm in a hurry.

In short I would not trust a single word said by a seller you don't know on "this kindjal is a great example of ... craftsmanship". They've tried to sell me a "chechen kindjal by great Mudunov" (Mudunov owned a second class osethian company), "khevsurian satevari" that for unknown reasons was signed in arabic and had very characteristic atagi motiff (and the seller is actually a very honest and reliable guy, he just does not know better).

They are not crooks, they just really don't know, and to be honest - in most cases with "generic" kindjals it can be really hard to make a call Georgia/Armenia or sometimes even Dagestan/Georgia, Chechnya/Georgia can be even worse.

There are some agreements, that since Tiflis was the biggest kindjal making place in Southern Caucasus, the Transcaucasian blades are georgian by default, just like circassian blades are dagestani unless definitely proven circassian .

[derek]

Hi Rivkin,

Thanks. The 2nd and 3rd you seem to have some level of confidence in saying they are this or that, but not the first one. Why? What is your initial impression as to its actual origin?
-d

[Rivkin]

Originally Posted by derek

Hi Rivkin,

Thanks. The 2nd and 3rd you seem to have some level of confidence in saying they are this or that, but not the first one. Why? What is your initial impression as to its actual origin?
-d

The first is strange. It seems to be very short - too short (boy's kindjal ?), but the hilt is disproportionally large. This is the first problem - what is this kindjal ? A weird product of prohibition against wearing large kindjals, adopted in a few cities ? The second problem is copper as a material for parts of the scabbard - not the most usual choise. Especially for small kindjals like this one. I had a somewhat similar georgian scabbard, but the engravings look weird to me. I've seen a similar turkish scabbard for a shashka (another weirdo).

So overall this guy is a weirdo.

[derek]

So it is, thanks for explaining. What do you make of those four cicular depressions on the top coppoer fitting? They look deliberate, but for what?

-d

[Rivkin]

Originally Posted by derek

So it is, thanks for explaining. What do you make of those four cicular depressions on the top coppoer fitting? They look deliberate, but for what?

-d

I think it's just an ornament.