Koummya with leather scabbard - need help to place this one!

kai · 9th September 2006, 02:11 AM

This seems to be a really weird Koummya and I would greatly appreciate any leads as to its possible origin!

The strong, handforged blade is well tempered and definitely a real fighter. I can't remember having seen this very beafy shape before but it's clearly a Koummya blade IMVHO... Thickness at the hilt is 4 mm an increases steadily to a maximum of 5.4 mm just before the outside edge starts! Length of blade is 25.3 cm (10") and maximum width 29 mm (1.14").

The hilt is 13.6 cm (5.4") long and quite plain compared to most Koummyas. Note the black and light horn scales though.

The scabbard is wood covered with tooled leather and fits tightly. Total length of the sheathed piece is 41 cm (16").

I obtained this nice piece from the same collection of a late Austrian ambassador in Morocco as the Koummya I'm currently offering (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?p=32508). Thus, Morocco (or possibly northwestern Africa) might be a likely origin despite me being unable to locate something similar in the literature...

Thanks for any help!

Regards,
Kai

(The following pics have a yellow hue - sorry, I messed up the white correction...

)

ariel · 9th September 2006, 02:57 AM

This is definitely a strange one: the scabbard looks almost Tuareg/Sudanese and the pommel is also not typical. This one definitely deserves a PM to Artzi: he forgot more about jambiyas than all of us together ever known.

kai · 11th September 2006, 03:20 AM

Thanks, Ariel! Yes, the hilt is quite different and also the decorations appear much cruder - I pondered wether this might be a "villager" from some remote area... The blade is really nice though!

I just sent Artzi an email and hope he'll drop by! I was hoping to get some hints to follow up upon before having to waste Artzi's time but this seems to be more difficult than I thought!

Regards,
Kai

kai · 23rd January 2014, 09:47 AM

It's been a while since I posted this very special piece. I haven't come across any pertinent info since and thought I may give it another try...

Any comments more than welcome - let's solve that riddle!

Regards,
Kai

spiral · 23rd January 2014, 09:01 PM

Fascinating piece... I wonder if its a Berber rendition of the koumya?

spiral

9th September 2006, 02:11 AM	#1
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Koummya with leather scabbard - need help to place this one! This seems to be a really weird Koummya and I would greatly appreciate any leads as to its possible origin! The strong, handforged blade is well tempered and definitely a real fighter. I can't remember having seen this very beafy shape before but it's clearly a Koummya blade IMVHO... Thickness at the hilt is 4 mm an increases steadily to a maximum of 5.4 mm just before the outside edge starts! Length of blade is 25.3 cm (10") and maximum width 29 mm (1.14"). The hilt is 13.6 cm (5.4") long and quite plain compared to most Koummyas. Note the black and light horn scales though. The scabbard is wood covered with tooled leather and fits tightly. Total length of the sheathed piece is 41 cm (16"). I obtained this nice piece from the same collection of a late Austrian ambassador in Morocco as the Koummya I'm currently offering (http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?p=32508). Thus, Morocco (or possibly northwestern Africa) might be a likely origin despite me being unable to locate something similar in the literature... Thanks for any help! Regards, Kai (The following pics have a yellow hue - sorry, I messed up the white correction... ) Attached Images

23rd January 2014, 09:47 AM	#4
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Koummya time again! It's been a while since I posted this very special piece. I haven't come across any pertinent info since and thought I may give it another try... Any comments more than welcome - let's solve that riddle! Regards, Kai

9th September 2006, 02:57 AM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	This is definitely a strange one: the scabbard looks almost Tuareg/Sudanese and the pommel is also not typical. This one definitely deserves a PM to Artzi: he forgot more about jambiyas than all of us together ever known.

11th September 2006, 03:20 AM	#3
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,254	Thanks, Ariel! Yes, the hilt is quite different and also the decorations appear much cruder - I pondered wether this might be a "villager" from some remote area... The blade is really nice though! I just sent Artzi an email and hope he'll drop by! I was hoping to get some hints to follow up upon before having to waste Artzi's time but this seems to be more difficult than I thought! Regards, Kai

23rd January 2014, 09:01 PM	#5
spiral Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 1,712	Fascinating piece... I wonder if its a Berber rendition of the koumya? spiral