Persian Pesh-kabz

[Ian]

Marius, that is not entirely true. The making of wootz or bulat was revived by the Russian metallurgist Pavel Asonov in the 19th C. and modern metallurgy can produce a fair approximation to traditional wootz.

On a personal note, I was shown a number of high end knives made from the 1970s to the 1990s that had new blades indistinguishable from traditional wootz. These were in the possession of a member of an Indian royal family to whom I was introduced by a dear friend. Unfortunately, I was not permitted to photograph these knives and swords, but they were outstanding in their construction and decoration. While the decoration was performed by Indian craftsmen, it was unclear where the blades were forged and my informant either did not know or wasn't saying.

When I say there are outstanding examples coming from modern Rajasthan and other parts of NW India, I am not talking about what appears on eBay and other online sources, but rather what I have seen custom made for people of substantial standing in Indian society. Of the latter, I have seen no pictures published.

Ian

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

There simply aren't ANY modern Indian examples made of wootz!