First Choora

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by ariel

Jim, I suspect the same.

Both "Choora" and " Karud" are essentially the same pattern. Their blades are identical in form and dimensions. In contrast, their handles vary enormously. The only explanation of the difference is likely to be a place of manufacture ( or, if one wishes, ethnicity of the manufacturers)

We know of the so-called "Karuds" that they were made and used in Afghanistan, Central Asia and India, In contrast, "Choora" was always ascribed to the Khyber Pass area, and there are no known examples from other parts of Afghanistan or Central Asian Khanates.

IMXO, most likely explanation is the tribal belonging of the owner/ maker.

Trade blades traveled far and wide, but were mounted according to the ethnic/tribal identity of the end owner.
The same Persian saber blade could become an Indian Tulwar, Afghani Pulwar, Syrian or South Arabian Saif, Georgian Khmali, Moroccan or Omani Nimcha, Sumatran Piso Podang or just Persian Shamshir. Trade yataghan blades were fitted with small silver Cretan handles or with massive ivory ones from the Balkans. Yemeni jambiyas can be attributed to a particular tribe/ social stratum only by the form and decoration of their hilts and scabbards. Egerton specifically mentioned that "Choora" blades were made in Kandahar ( likely plain) and Khorasan ( likely wootz).In Afghanistan, rich people could afford ivory handles and wootz blades.


I suspect that wootz blades were remounted time and again when the organic parts of the hilt broke down, because of their value and mystique.

Ariel, sorry I missed responding to this after you were kind enough to respond to me personally. Very well noted on the karud and their blades being much wider spread in their use with the distinct deeply radiused blade and acute point.
Also you have well delineated the distribution of these other forms with these 'choora' being confined to Khyber Agency regions.

As I suggested earlier, it seems quite possible these were products of the Gandi Lohar groups in these regions using quite similar design and motifs found in the so called 'lohar' pick axes usually attributed to the Bannuchis (Stone).

While the form itself seems to have been around since mid 19th c. the term 'choora' seems to have been a more collective term used locally for knives or daggers in general, but after 1930s applied specifically to them .

Here, as often if not nearly always, collectors have created their own glossary of terms for various weapons, creating what we regard as the 'name game' in struggles to accurately discuss weapon forms.

Basically , collectors wish to classify weapons categorically in order to organize their groupings, while those studying the development and history of forms desperately seek links and cross references to track the forms in contemporary references and narratives.

All part of the excitement, adventure and frustration as we look into these conundrums!