Caucasian? dagger

ariel · 10th August 2021, 11:22 PM

It is a Khandjar , Persian or North Indian. Velvet covering of the scabbard makes me put North India first. I have never seen any Caucasia weapon bearing a name Muhammad Ja’far, it just did not belong there.The broken handle is likely original. Most Khandjars in the museum collections have walrus, ivory or silver handles. But museums tend to exhibit weapons of rich and famous, a minority of the general population; those who were not very rich were very happy with a dagger with good blade and modest handle.
There was an article in a Russian journal , claiming that the presence of a non-walrus handle or even a walrus one but with the granulated layer adjacent to the tang of a shamshir is a sure sign of replacement. I would disagree with that statement. IMHO, it is just a sign of limited means or personal taste.

I have no objective reason to believe that the date is spurious.

10th August 2021, 11:22 PM	#8
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	It is a Khandjar , Persian or North Indian. Velvet covering of the scabbard makes me put North India first. I have never seen any Caucasia weapon bearing a name Muhammad Ja’far, it just did not belong there.The broken handle is likely original. Most Khandjars in the museum collections have walrus, ivory or silver handles. But museums tend to exhibit weapons of rich and famous, a minority of the general population; those who were not very rich were very happy with a dagger with good blade and modest handle. There was an article in a Russian journal , claiming that the presence of a non-walrus handle or even a walrus one but with the granulated layer adjacent to the tang of a shamshir is a sure sign of replacement. I would disagree with that statement. IMHO, it is just a sign of limited means or personal taste. I have no objective reason to believe that the date is spurious.