Afghani Khyber swords : are there 2 varieties?

ariel · 1st November 2005, 03:53 AM

I meant to ask this question quite some time ago but forgot. Now is the time .
Compare these two Khybers:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1

and

http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-AFGHAN-KHYBE...QQcmdZViewItem

Everything is the same but the handles, especially the pommels.
Are we seeing 2 different traditions?

Battara · 1st November 2005, 06:41 AM

Ariel, as always, you bring up a good point. I have wondered that too, noticing especially the pommels. One reminds me more of a choora and the other more kard like.

Yannis · 1st November 2005, 06:59 AM

There are 3 types

http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=301

Ariel
The first type you show us it is the less common

TVV · 1st November 2005, 07:47 AM

Unfortunately I have only one khyber and it is from the most common type. With this type of pommel, there is a small metal round piece protruding from the tang. Does anyone know what it was used for?

Anyway, the example from Oriental Arms archive that Yannis has shown is really different, but in my opinion not so much because of the guard, which was added to it later due to military standards, but because of the hilt construction.
In Ashoka Arts sold items archive I was able to find this khyber, which is of the first type (as defined by Ariel's starting post, for lack of a better term), but nowhere I was able to find another one with the same hilt construction as the one posted by Yannis:

TVV · 1st November 2005, 08:42 AM

I really hope Adam Rose would not mind me putting a link to his on-line gallery here, but I think some of his photos would be really interesting for this particular thread.
First look at the pictures here, especially the first one:
http://www.awrswords.net/pics/thumbn...&cat=3&page=22
It appears that the third type of hilt is actually the standard military hilt, adopted by the Afghan army in the late 19th century, as it is found both on the rehilted khyber and the short sword.
Then here, on the second picture there is a comparison of two khyber and one choora hilts:
http://www.awrswords.net/pics/thumbn...p&cat=3&page=9
It is a really great photo which shows somewhat of a transition from one pommel type to another. Also, note the transition in size too. The less common khybers with the bird head pommel (that is how it appears to me and I can be completely mistaken in this assumption) are shorter. Adam's picture shows that clearly, and the first one on eBay (in the order the Ariel has placed the links) is less than 20" overall, while the other one is almost 30", or one and a half times longer. There seems to be a connection between blade legth and pommel shape: for some reason it appears that the shorter blades needed a larger pommel. Probably to assist the hand for withdrawing the knife after a thrust?

Rick · 1st November 2005, 05:03 PM

Couldn't this be simply a tribal/regional difference in hilt form ?

1st November 2005, 03:53 AM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Afghani Khyber swords : are there 2 varieties? I meant to ask this question quite some time ago but forgot. Now is the time . Compare these two Khybers: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA%3AIT&rd=1 and http://cgi.ebay.com/OLD-AFGHAN-KHYBE...QQcmdZViewItem Everything is the same but the handles, especially the pommels. Are we seeing 2 different traditions?

1st November 2005, 06:41 AM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,200	Ariel, as always, you bring up a good point. I have wondered that too, noticing especially the pommels. One reminds me more of a choora and the other more kard like.

1st November 2005, 06:59 AM	#3
Yannis Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Athens Greece Posts: 479	There are 3 types http://www.oriental-arms.com/item.php?id=301 Ariel The first type you show us it is the less common

1st November 2005, 07:47 AM	#4
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,615	Unfortunately I have only one khyber and it is from the most common type. With this type of pommel, there is a small metal round piece protruding from the tang. Does anyone know what it was used for? Anyway, the example from Oriental Arms archive that Yannis has shown is really different, but in my opinion not so much because of the guard, which was added to it later due to military standards, but because of the hilt construction. In Ashoka Arts sold items archive I was able to find this khyber, which is of the first type (as defined by Ariel's starting post, for lack of a better term), but nowhere I was able to find another one with the same hilt construction as the one posted by Yannis:

1st November 2005, 08:42 AM	#5
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,615	I really hope Adam Rose would not mind me putting a link to his on-line gallery here, but I think some of his photos would be really interesting for this particular thread. First look at the pictures here, especially the first one: http://www.awrswords.net/pics/thumbn...&cat=3&page=22 It appears that the third type of hilt is actually the standard military hilt, adopted by the Afghan army in the late 19th century, as it is found both on the rehilted khyber and the short sword. Then here, on the second picture there is a comparison of two khyber and one choora hilts: http://www.awrswords.net/pics/thumbn...p&cat=3&page=9 It is a really great photo which shows somewhat of a transition from one pommel type to another. Also, note the transition in size too. The less common khybers with the bird head pommel (that is how it appears to me and I can be completely mistaken in this assumption) are shorter. Adam's picture shows that clearly, and the first one on eBay (in the order the Ariel has placed the links) is less than 20" overall, while the other one is almost 30", or one and a half times longer. There seems to be a connection between blade legth and pommel shape: for some reason it appears that the shorter blades needed a larger pommel. Probably to assist the hand for withdrawing the knife after a thrust?

1st November 2005, 05:03 PM	#6
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,287	Couldn't this be simply a tribal/regional difference in hilt form ?