The “ regulation Khyber Knife” in the Afghani Army at end of the 19th – beginning of

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The back of the blade is massive and T-formed, and the last third of the blade carries a small yelman with a false edge. The edge merges smoothly with the yelman forming a sword--like tip. There are 2 wide fullers stretching from the ricasso almost to the tip. The handle is as a rule made of steel with wooden slabs located in the middle of the grip, between steel parts. The front D-guard is pierced creating an impression of a 3- bar design. The pommel is elegantly curved resembling a bird’s head. The end of quillon is turned toward the back of the blade, similar to the European custom. Ricasso is partially covered from both sides by semicircular guard extensions that resemble cupolas of the mosque. The scabbard is wooden, covered with black or brown leather. The (most often steel) throat is integral with the middle band carrying on its inner side the hanging ring. Thе chape has a well-formed drag.
This weapon is traditionally called Afghan Military Saber or Afghan Military Sword. More correctly, it should be called Afghan Military Khyber or Regulation Khyber. Some may question the reason for introduction of a new term for a weapon only loosely resembling the real ethnic Khyber Knife.
From the start, it is imperative to distinguish the object under discussion from other similar ones that should correctly be called “short sabers”. We can see the latter one in a John Burke’s photograph “ Mohammed Yakub Khan with British Officers in May 1879”, - as carried by the second from the left Afghani named Daoud Shah (9)

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As distinct from the “regulation khyber”, short sabers are extremely rare and vary enormously, whereas the “regulation khybers” are plentiful and virtually identical ( with the exception of the award ones with damascus blades and/or ivory handles). The blades of short sabers are more curved, less wide, often without false edge or the stamp of Mazar-i-Sharif on the ricasso. In addition, every blade is different and some are even made of wootz. The handles are very similar, but the details and the materials of the short sabers’ handles are individual. The seeming similarity between the scabbards is limited to the manner of sword carriage (saber-type one in short sabers) although there are exceptions. (Fig.5). Thus, the apparent similarity between the Afghan Short Saber and Afghan Regulation Khyber is only superficial. Moreover, as opposed to the Regulation Khybers, the Short Sabers first appeared at the end of the 1870s but never became popular.

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Having defined the differences between the “Regulation Khyber” and the “Short Saber”, we are approaching the point of explanation why do we consider using the novel term. To clinch the point, we wish to discuss 2 other regulation examples.
Extremely rare is a pattern integrating features of both “ethnic” and “regulation” Khybers. It might have been an experimental model or a transitory step of evolution. From the ethnic Khyber it inherited the form of the T-blade, but acquired the handle with the guard from the “regulation” one. The dimensions of both are virtually identical

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Notably, the guard/handle components are not just similar, but identical, with the only difference of a single rivet securing the grip. The scabbards are also similar: wooden, leather-covered, with a metal chape ending with the ethnic ball at the tip. The sword enters the scabbard down to the guard, but with no hanging assembly, indicating that these swords, like their ethnic brethren were tucked under the belt. One can argue that this example is just a mix of the “ethnic’ and the “regulation” patters. Against it is the presence of the Mazar-i-Sharif stamp on all 5 examples of this pattern known to us. This stamp was never present on the “ethnic” variety. The size, the handle and the stamps allow us to state that this rare type is a transition variant from the “ethnic” to the “regulation” pattern
However, there is yet another distinct example, even rarer that the Khyber with the guard described above. We know of only 2 examples. Superficially, it resembles the “ethnic” Khyber

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However, there are details suggesting that it might be the earliest transitional step. The grip slabs are wooden, which is not typical for the “ethnic” variety, the blade carries Mazar-i-Sharif stamp, and the scabbard is identical to the one described for the “Khyber with guard”. The main proof of our hypothesis are the stamps customarily attributed to Mazar-i-Sharif. In fact, there are stamps of the state arsenal in Kabul, - the Mashin Khana. These two patterns differ from each other, as mentioned by Bert van der Molen.
”Even though there are multiple variants of the stamps, they always have the image of a Mihrab, - a prayer niche turned toward Mecca and Minbar, - a movable dais with steps inside the mosque. It is a symbol of the importance of Islam in the life of the country. The cannons made during Abdur Rahman’s rule were all stamped with the shahada “There is no God but Allah and Mohammed is his prophet”. What are the differences between the stamps? Before 1898 the stamp was arc-formed, after 1898 and till 1901 it became rectangular with a square “roof”. Khabibullah Khan introduced a ring of 8 rays – “khatam“ (“the stamp of the prophets”). Khatam also means “the last one of his kind”, - which may be refered either to Khabibulla or to Mohammed. Khatam is present on all weapons from 1901 till 1929. Underneath the stamp there are images of cannons and yataghans, symbolizing the importance of the army for the country. Rarely there are images of the “David’s Star” which is an Islamic symbol as well. The rarity of markings allows us to pinpoint the age of the weapon after 1896. If manufactured at the time of Khabibullah (1901-1919) it has a cannon above the Mikhrab, if at the time of Amanullah (1919-1929) there is a pulwar, a traditional Afghan saber” (10)
These dating points fully confirm our hypothesis of the evolution from the strictly ethnic Khyber to the regulation pattern. The lastly-discussed sample has an arc-formed stamp,

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but the “regulation” pattern has either square stamps or stamps with Khatam (as shown here) testifying to their later manufacture

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The last 2 variants discussed in this paper were likely manufactured in small numbers and thus were not widely known. They are stamped with a pattern not described by van der Molen: their stamps are round, with the image of the Blue Mosque of the Mazar-i-Sharif in the center (the reason why they were traditionally attributed there). Under the image of the mosque both samples we were able to examine carry an inscription in Farsi and numerals 1300 (Lunar Hidjra), i.e. 1883-1884.