Oriental knife ID?!

[Gavin Nugent]

Originally Posted by estcrh

Gavin, did you mean bichoq or bichaq? Here is what George Stone has to say about bichaq.

Estcrh,

My thoughts are that Bichoq, Bichaq, Pichoq, Pichaq and other spelling exists... Name/s for a small knives such as the one presented, a name used dependant of the region across the Balkans and wider Turkic areas to the east.

As with yataghan, Kilij and Shamshir, the grip slabs are pinned, but being raised off the tangs and sealed/decorated with grip straps and bolsters or in the case of swords, the quillon blocks, this is typical, but Stones assessment seems to be limited to only bone or ivory slabs when so many more materials were used from horn, rhino horn, silvers, brass, ceramics, stones and others I am sure I have not listed.

This knife fits the form despite being a single pieces of ivory. The same could be said for the known Turkish small one piece Jade hilts too.

Gavin

[Martin Lubojacky]

Just small remark the classification of "bıçak". This generally means knife in Turkish an if you ask e.g. for a modern stainless steel knife in restaurant you ask them to bring a bıçak.

The knife is very nice. I think the style of the sheath is more to the Ege region (? Kubur will definitely repair me if I am mistaken). Interesting is, that contemporary silversmiths/restorers in Turkey can make such nice sheath - like in old times, too. But I think contemprary chasing is much deeper than they used to do it before
Martin