Unusual dagger ?Philippines ?N. Africa

[TVV]

The Egyptian army did not receive the Martini-Enfield until 1903, 4 years after the end of the Mahdiya. During the Mahdist Rebellion, the Mahdists captures Egyptian Remington Rolling Block rifles, with a yataghan bayonet. The British used Martini Henry rifles against the Mahdists, but I have severe doubts the Mahdists had the ability to obtain any through either trade or as trophies - it was the British who won the battles and collected trophies, rather than the other way around.

The hilt design on this very interesting dagger is entirely European in style. While there were a lot of trophies taken after battles during the Mahdist Wars, there seems to have been an even greater demand for such souvenirs than the battlefields were able to supply. In the past, we have discussed the possibility that a lot of the acid etched blade kaskaras with brass hilts may have been a product of a thriving post war industry. To me it sounds more likely that a British soldier stationed in Sudan after the suppression of the Mahdists had this knife fashioned from a Martini bayonet according to his own taste and added the etched thuluth to the blade as a memento of his service there, or maybe even of the Sudan campaign itself.

[Tim Simmons]

Many parts of the world was awash with guns like the brown bess so these etched bayonet converted weapons are most probably part of the Mahdist armoury. However the example in question does appear to refashioned to European taste.

[Ian]

TVV, Thank you for that insight into the adoption of Martini bayonets by Egypt. As you say, this may well be a memento of the Sudan Wars from the early 1900s. The etching on my knife is so similar to what appears on kaskara from the Mahdist period that I think it likely was done in Sudan by a local who was familiar with the old inscriptions.

[Tim Simmons]

The etching is a repeat of the image. Which is a distortion of Aribic acording to the auther of {Nigerian Panoply arms and armour of the Northern Region A.D.H Bivar, Department of Antiquities Fedral Republic of Nigeria 1964}

[Ian]

Thanks Tim. It seems that I have all the images upside down. I'll try to restore them to their correct orientation.

The reoriented images for my knife seem to be a fairly close approximation to the inscription that Tim has shown. Those on the kaskara are not as close.

[Tim Simmons]

For comparison.

[G. Mansfield]

Looks like Sudanese knife from the Mahdist period or shortly thereafter. Attached below is another example from African Arms with the same bayonet blade type and form. My guess origin of a Khartoum workshop to near the 3rd cataract of the Nile in Northern Sudan near Dongola. I will attach a Dongola style curved dagger that I received recently. Take particular note in the similarity of the segments of bone and horn hilt with metal alloy spacers paired with the brass pommel. The shape of yours reminds me of some British naval dirks. The Nile was used by the British for logistics of troops and ammo during the Mahdist War departing from Egypt, eventually making their way to secure the Sudanese capital of Khartoum. Ian, a great knife in my opinion.

https://africanarms.com/gallery.html...ger-in-3-views
https://www.the-mansfield-collection...ola-dagger-488

-Geoffrey

[Ian]

Geoffrey, thank you for those helpful insights.