Kurdish khanjar with important provenance

Johan van Zyl · 18th November 2017, 10:10 AM

Having read this thread and the interesting replies, I thought I could also show my own Kurdish khanjar. I got it many years ago. It came without a scabbard, so I made one for it, following the style of the scabbard it would have come in as exactly as I could. People I have shown the khanjar to, have disagreed amongst themselves about the handle material. I am myself at a loss as to whether it is horn or wood.

I remember when I purchased this khajar, the dealer claimed it was c. 1910 vintage.

Regards
Johan

kronckew · 18th November 2017, 06:48 PM

a nice one too, johan.
nice scabbard too.

mine also came to me without a scabbard.

an esteemed forum member here had a spare one he'd accumulated from somewhere he didn't have any use for, so he very kindly sent it to me. it fits like it was made for it.

i have a bou-saadi khodmi knife with a sewing thimble on the scabbard tip, like the one in post no.1, i guess you use what you have handy. hope their wives didn't beat them too much for raiding the sewing kit.

Johan van Zyl · 19th November 2017, 08:42 AM

Very nice indeed, Kronckew, and the others too. I made the tip of the scabbard with a piece of black buffalo horn which I shaped to look like ones I had seen on traditional scabbards. The big challenge with the making of most ethnographic scabbards is proper, sturdy coverage of the knife with the use of minimum material (like in this Kurdish khanjar scabbard, and also with Nepali kukri scabbards! The latter scabbards present additional challenges.

Your thimble tip looks great!

Johan

18th November 2017, 10:10 AM	#1
Johan van Zyl Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: I live in Gordon's Bay, a village in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Posts: 126	Having read this thread and the interesting replies, I thought I could also show my own Kurdish khanjar. I got it many years ago. It came without a scabbard, so I made one for it, following the style of the scabbard it would have come in as exactly as I could. People I have shown the khanjar to, have disagreed amongst themselves about the handle material. I am myself at a loss as to whether it is horn or wood. I remember when I purchased this khajar, the dealer claimed it was c. 1910 vintage. Regards Johan Attached Images

18th November 2017, 06:48 PM	#2
kronckew Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Room 101, Glos. UK Posts: 4,224	a nice one too, johan. nice scabbard too. mine also came to me without a scabbard. an esteemed forum member here had a spare one he'd accumulated from somewhere he didn't have any use for, so he very kindly sent it to me. it fits like it was made for it. i have a bou-saadi khodmi knife with a sewing thimble on the scabbard tip, like the one in post no.1, i guess you use what you have handy. hope their wives didn't beat them too much for raiding the sewing kit. Attached Images

19th November 2017, 08:42 AM	#3
Johan van Zyl Member Join Date: Sep 2016 Location: I live in Gordon's Bay, a village in the Western Cape Province in South Africa. Posts: 126	Very nice indeed, Kronckew, and the others too. I made the tip of the scabbard with a piece of black buffalo horn which I shaped to look like ones I had seen on traditional scabbards. The big challenge with the making of most ethnographic scabbards is proper, sturdy coverage of the knife with the use of minimum material (like in this Kurdish khanjar scabbard, and also with Nepali kukri scabbards! The latter scabbards present additional challenges. Your thimble tip looks great! Johan