Kurdish Jambiya?

[blue lander]

At least that's what I assume it is. There aren't any decorations on the scabbard and there's a belt loop soldered to the back, which doesn't seem right. The blade shape is strange as well. I'm not sure if it's a carelessly made blade that was never meant to be used (souvenir/wall hanger), or if it's a "real" blade that's been used and ground down so much that it looks odd. It does have a raised spine in the middle but it's very slight. The edges are pretty sharp.

I haven't poked the white parts of the hilt with a hot needle yet, but I assume it's bone. It could be plastic though, it's awfully shiny.

[spiral]

The white parts are definitely bone, one can clearly see the haversian canals...

Some types of old plastic will ignite in an seriously explosive manner if you set a hot needle in them... Some wont even melt...

And many materials will always bear the mark of a test that proves nothing usually...:confused:

Seeing if something smells when it burns is a bizarre test, that collectors shouldn't realy be using...

Your eyes can tall you more than trying to burn an antique will. :eek

spiral :

[Kubur]

Hi!

It is bone.
And it is not Kurdish, but pure Syrian (Arab).
Despite the fact that they have Kurdish in Syria, as you can see on TV...
Origin: Damascus area or the South...

Regards
Kubur

[blue lander]

Fair point. Do you think it's actually an antique, though? That belt loop just seems out of place on a Jambiya, I thought they usually tucked them into their belts.

[Oliver Pinchot]

I agree with Spiral, the center section of the grip is bone.
This dagger could have been made in the first quarter of the 20th century, possibly reusing an older blade. It has seen a lot of use over an extended period; the belt loop was added at some point, or the scabbard was entirely replaced. In either case, it was likely done between the second and third quarter of the 20th century. It is also possible, even likely, that the dagger simply dates around the WWII era.

[spiral]

Id guess from ww1 to ww2 period, but that's just a guess.

Shibrya The Bedouin daggers from around Syria, Palestine, Jordan etc also often have identical soldered belt loops.

Perhaps there's a connection there?

spiral

[Kubur]

Please, look this thread
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=749
I will post the photo of mine tomorrow...
I agree, first part of 20th c.

[blue lander]

Thanks both. The inside of the belt loop is covered in some sort of white paste. I can scrape it off with my fingernail, so I think that paste would be gone if anybody had ever ran a belt through it. Maybe it was a later addition as suggested.

I also noticed the very tip of the blade is all chewed up, similar to what happens when you try to use the tip of your pocketknife as a makeshift screwdriver. Maybe it served as a utility knife.

[spiral]

The white paste is probably just brass cleaner, badly cleaned off.

Spiral