An Uzbek pichaq for comment and request for translation of inscription

[GePi]

Thank you so much, I never would have gotten that myself!

If I understand you correctly the 'alef' from Bilal is partially rubbed out and the 'lam' like sign inside the date is actually a malformed 'haft'?

[kwiatek]

Originally Posted by GePi

Thank you so much, I never would have gotten that myself!

If I understand you correctly the 'alef' from Bilal is partially rubbed out and the 'lam' like sign inside the date is actually a malformed 'haft'?

Yes. I don’t think it’s rubbed out as much as written quickly. This is not a professional scribe’s hand. There is an extra dot within the lam of the name Bilal, which made me question this reading. But I can’t think what other name it might be

[GePi]

Originally Posted by kwiatek

Yes. I don’t think it’s rubbed out as much as written quickly. This is not a professional scribe’s hand. There is an extra dot within the lam of the name Bilal, which made me question this reading. But I can’t think what other name it might be

I think the extra dot belongs to the 'nun' from Khuqandi and has just wandered off to the side.

Originally Posted by ariel

In that part of the world sophisticated weapons were made more likely by Tajiks. The great Khanates were gradually conquered by nomadic Mongols starting in the 11th century. However, the conquered urban populations were highly cultured native Persia- related Tajiks who were the professionals. If so, the master would likely called this knife a Kord. Wootz blade suggests Persian tradition and Ann Feuerbach found archeological evidence of wootz production in the area.
The entire area was conquered by the Russians in 1864-68. Yours may be one of the latest examples of the pre-conquest era.
For some reasons we attribute local weapons to Bukhara, but forget about other great centers: Khorezm, Samarkand, Khiva, Kokand. There must have been local differences in decoration, but we have no good way of distinguishing between them. The inscription pinpoints it to Kokand.

Thank your for the write-up, I will have to read up on that.

[kwiatek]

[QUOTE=GePi]I think the extra dot belongs to the 'nun' from Khuqandi and has just wandered off to the side.

Could be, yes. I can see there is a waw too below, so Usta is spelt اوستا, which I’ve seen in Central Asia

[GePi]

[QUOTE=kwiatek]

Originally Posted by GePi

I think the extra dot belongs to the 'nun' from Khuqandi and has just wandered off to the side.

Could be, yes. I can see there is a waw too below, so Usta is spelt اوستا, which I’ve seen in Central Asia

You are right, it's also not quite completely formed. That only leaves the sign on the left of that unaccounted for, which looks a bit like a 'jim' form letter connecting into the border of the cartouche.