indo persian zulfiqar jambiya

ariel · 3rd December 2012, 03:39 PM

They appear on e-bay or other auctions with alarming regularity.
IMHO, they all are Qajar or, likely, later :-) era and designed for tourist attraction. From the engineering point of view, they are counterproductive: the central blade is supposedly armour-piercing, but the lateral blades will prevent penetration. They are not even sharpened, just pieces of etched iron crudely fashioned in the form of blades.
But overall, they certainly give a European tourist the expected idea of the Oriental cruelty and deviousness. Something to compare disfavourably with the good and honest Christian chivalry as exemplified by the " straight and narrow" swords of the noble Knights of the Round Table.
I can't help but imagine Iranian tinsmiths chuckling sarcastically while assembling these monstrosities.

3rd December 2012, 03:39 PM	#4
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	They appear on e-bay or other auctions with alarming regularity. IMHO, they all are Qajar or, likely, later :-) era and designed for tourist attraction. From the engineering point of view, they are counterproductive: the central blade is supposedly armour-piercing, but the lateral blades will prevent penetration. They are not even sharpened, just pieces of etched iron crudely fashioned in the form of blades. But overall, they certainly give a European tourist the expected idea of the Oriental cruelty and deviousness. Something to compare disfavourably with the good and honest Christian chivalry as exemplified by the " straight and narrow" swords of the noble Knights of the Round Table. I can't help but imagine Iranian tinsmiths chuckling sarcastically while assembling these monstrosities.