Arabic Dagger? ID help please

Badgerbag · 30th April 2021, 03:31 PM

Hi, can anyone help ID this item please? My great grandfather brought it back from WW1. Family legend has it that he was fighting against the Ottoman army, but there’ is nobody left who remembers where. The hilt appears to be ivory, but I’ve no idea if it was a “genuine piece or something made for tourists. Can anyone tell if the inscriptions on the blade are merely decorative, or is some of it Arabic script.

Many thanks

Battara · 30th April 2021, 05:14 PM

This could be Madhist from around Sudan.

Rick · 30th April 2021, 05:15 PM

Welcome aboard!

The hilt is bone. There's a lot to be learned about these thuluth blades here:

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26896

kahnjar1 · 30th April 2021, 10:23 PM

Hi Tim,
Please refer to the link in the reply above. I have just acquired 2 of these daggers with a Sudanese Kaskara sword. Replies to my thread would suggest that these COULD be made for sale rather than actual use, though opinions vary.
Either way they are of Sudanese origin.
Regards Stu

Badgerbag · 1st May 2021, 12:45 PM

Many thanks everyone. What a fascinating subject! I shall have to try to do some digging into my Great Grandfather’s war service. I always thought he looked a bit old to have fought in WW1, and I remember my grandmother told me that he had been recalled to the colours during the Boer War, so he could possibly have been in the Sudan.

David R · 3rd May 2021, 04:37 PM

You thought your Great Granddad was a bit old for WW1 service, this is Sgt. Evan Jones of Rourke's Drift fame, in 1918.

30th April 2021, 03:31 PM	#1
Badgerbag Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: U.K. Posts: 5	Arabic Dagger? ID help please Hi, can anyone help ID this item please? My great grandfather brought it back from WW1. Family legend has it that he was fighting against the Ottoman army, but there’ is nobody left who remembers where. The hilt appears to be ivory, but I’ve no idea if it was a “genuine piece or something made for tourists. Can anyone tell if the inscriptions on the blade are merely decorative, or is some of it Arabic script. Many thanks Attached Images

3rd May 2021, 04:37 PM	#6
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,135	You thought your Great Granddad was a bit old for WW1 service, this is Sgt. Evan Jones of Rourke's Drift fame, in 1918. Attached Images

30th April 2021, 05:14 PM	#2
Battara EAAF Staff Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Louisville, KY Posts: 7,345	This could be Madhist from around Sudan.

30th April 2021, 05:15 PM	#3
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,376	Welcome aboard! The hilt is bone. There's a lot to be learned about these thuluth blades here: http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=26896

30th April 2021, 10:23 PM	#4
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,811	Hi Tim, Please refer to the link in the reply above. I have just acquired 2 of these daggers with a Sudanese Kaskara sword. Replies to my thread would suggest that these COULD be made for sale rather than actual use, though opinions vary. Either way they are of Sudanese origin. Regards Stu

1st May 2021, 12:45 PM	#5
Badgerbag Member Join Date: Apr 2021 Location: U.K. Posts: 5	Many thanks everyone. What a fascinating subject! I shall have to try to do some digging into my Great Grandfather’s war service. I always thought he looked a bit old to have fought in WW1, and I remember my grandmother told me that he had been recalled to the colours during the Boer War, so he could possibly have been in the Sudan.