Khyber knife

[rgremm]

I received the following from an Omniglot reader who viewed the inscription:
"Hello,
I've just saw the picture in Omniglot.com and I can read clearly what is
written there.
It is written: Faqeer Husain
which means literally: poor Husain
this way of introducing names is also famous in Iran as well in the
persian culture. It is just a way to show humiliation, like saying
"humble Husain".
and seems it is the name of the knife maker
yours;
TJ "

This interpretation is corroborated by Raja Mudin. TJ clearly identifies Persian or Farsi language and culture. This is interesting as the 2 major languages of Afghanistan are Pashtun (Pathan) and Dari which is an old form of Farsi. The tribes of the Khyber Pass, which are associated with the Khyber knife are Pathan. Although my knife is of a form similar to the Khyber knife it is also different in many ways and now with a Persian inscription adding to the complexity. Jim McDougall was leaning toward an arsenal mark. Where would one find information on Persian armourers and their customs? The engraving of the silver tang and bolster is what I find most aesthetically intriguing. Is that also Persian in origin or does it predate Hussein's work? In reply to Tom Hyle the tang and engraving end where visible.

[tom hyle]

I have very little doubt the tang ends where seen; what I wonder is does the engraving continue on around the end, where we can't see it, within the handle. The area around the corners may be more readable in person than in photos.....

[ariel]

The more I look at the silverwork, the more I think of Bukhara, Samarkand etc.These belong to Uzbekistan, a Turkic state. Uzbeks migrated to the area relatively recently (1500 years ago? Is it recent?). By the way, they chose to call themselves Uzbek after one of the most successful Khans of the Golden Horde, Ozbek, who was Chingiz Khan's grandson or close to that.
The adjoining Tajikistan employs a language that is almost purely Persian and there are many Tajiks living in the current borders of Afghanistan.
This "khyber" might have been made in Northern Afghanistan, influenced by the "Central Asian" motives. Would be fascinating to find Russian markings on the blade.

[spiral]

A wonderful & fascinating knife, & a very intresting thread, excelent, thankyou.

Spiral