Kindjal with Gurian-Adjarian type blade

AvtoGaz · 14th September 2024, 10:48 PM

The silverwork is indeed reminiscent of the type often done by the Armenian silversmiths of Van.

This item is from Turkey, probably made in Trabzon. I think its a later piece, although in Guria and Adjaria proper such daggers had fallen out of fashion, in Trabzon they were still used in the late 19th century. The fittings could be local or maybe even imported from Van. In the Caucasus Armenian jewelers who used to decorate weapons were out-competed by the new large-scale Dagestani production and mostly switched over to making belts and other jewelry, however in Van they continued their work up until the genocide.

14th September 2024, 10:48 PM	#3
AvtoGaz Member Join Date: Dec 2022 Posts: 33	The silverwork is indeed reminiscent of the type often done by the Armenian silversmiths of Van. This item is from Turkey, probably made in Trabzon. I think its a later piece, although in Guria and Adjaria proper such daggers had fallen out of fashion, in Trabzon they were still used in the late 19th century. The fittings could be local or maybe even imported from Van. In the Caucasus Armenian jewelers who used to decorate weapons were out-competed by the new large-scale Dagestani production and mostly switched over to making belts and other jewelry, however in Van they continued their work up until the genocide.