Guess this Indian sword

Jens Nordlunde · 22nd July 2006, 04:18 PM

In Robert Elgood’s book Hindu Arms and Ritual, I found this interesting comment on the Sailaba on page 260.

Sailaba. Short Muslim sword with a forward curved blade from Hyderabad (Deccan). ….. The weapon is identical to the sosun pattah and probably derives from the yataghan which is the earlier weapon. Irvin gives sailabah-I-qalmaqi, a knife as long as a sword with a walrus ivory grip, used by the men of Kashgar.

ariel · 26th December 2014, 06:08 AM

It took only 8 years

, but it just occurred to me , that Sailaba may be another version of phonetic transliteration of "Selaava", the local name for what the Brits designated as "Khyber knife".
If that is correct, and taking into account frequent construction of the Khyber knife with a (slightly) recurved blade, we may finally understand where the term "Salawar yataghan" came from.

Jens Nordlunde · 26th December 2014, 03:49 PM

I just read this thread once more, as I had forgotten most of the discussion.

Jim, you are in trouble, deep trouble, but I will let you off the hook this time, as very few knows this

. You wrote in post 13, "These are stated to be from Hyderabad, which of course is in the Deccan". Wrong - these is also a Hyderabad in Sind (Pakistan) - but it is not very well known, so adding Deccan removes any doubt about from where it is.

Ariel, it is nine years ago I wrote the thread, and I was amazed that you found it, how many had a look at it.
I dont know from where the word Sailaba origins, but I tend to believe that it is of Turkish origin, as the Turkish influence was very strong in Deccan.
Unfortunately I dont know much, hardly anything, about the origin of the different words, other that it seem as if many of te European words come from Sanskrit.

Jens

ariel · 26th December 2014, 08:38 PM

I asked my Turkish colleague, but she could not recall anything resembling that name.
Well, she is woman, and a pacifist to boot :-)

AJ1356 · 27th December 2014, 01:41 AM

Sailaba is probably a misnomer, Sailab means flood, but sailawa is the name of what everyone in Afghanistan call a khayber knife. This piece looks like a yataghan blade with a indian hilt, even the writings are similar to other yataghans. there are many instances of where indian had taken foriegn blades and added an indian hilt to them.

26th December 2014, 03:49 PM	#3
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	I just read this thread once more, as I had forgotten most of the discussion. Jim, you are in trouble, deep trouble, but I will let you off the hook this time, as very few knows this. You wrote in post 13, "These are stated to be from Hyderabad, which of course is in the Deccan". Wrong - these is also a Hyderabad in Sind (Pakistan) - but it is not very well known, so adding Deccan removes any doubt about from where it is. Ariel, it is nine years ago I wrote the thread, and I was amazed that you found it, how many had a look at it. I dont know from where the word Sailaba origins, but I tend to believe that it is of Turkish origin, as the Turkish influence was very strong in Deccan. Unfortunately I dont know much, hardly anything, about the origin of the different words, other that it seem as if many of te European words come from Sanskrit. Jens

22nd July 2006, 04:18 PM	#1
Jens Nordlunde Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Europe Posts: 2,718	In Robert Elgood’s book Hindu Arms and Ritual, I found this interesting comment on the Sailaba on page 260. Sailaba. Short Muslim sword with a forward curved blade from Hyderabad (Deccan). ….. The weapon is identical to the sosun pattah and probably derives from the yataghan which is the earlier weapon. Irvin gives sailabah-I-qalmaqi, a knife as long as a sword with a walrus ivory grip, used by the men of Kashgar.

26th December 2014, 06:08 AM	#2
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	It took only 8 years , but it just occurred to me , that Sailaba may be another version of phonetic transliteration of "Selaava", the local name for what the Brits designated as "Khyber knife". If that is correct, and taking into account frequent construction of the Khyber knife with a (slightly) recurved blade, we may finally understand where the term "Salawar yataghan" came from.

26th December 2014, 08:38 PM	#4
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I asked my Turkish colleague, but she could not recall anything resembling that name. Well, she is woman, and a pacifist to boot :-)

27th December 2014, 01:41 AM	#5
AJ1356 Member Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Nashville Posts: 317	Sailaba is probably a misnomer, Sailab means flood, but sailawa is the name of what everyone in Afghanistan call a khayber knife. This piece looks like a yataghan blade with a indian hilt, even the writings are similar to other yataghans. there are many instances of where indian had taken foriegn blades and added an indian hilt to them.