Bosnian Bichaq

[Montino Bourbon]

I heard that there was a study by the Swedish army on military knives, and they came up with the fact that the best all-around military knife ended up looking like... a chef's knife!

This knife is of that sort; totally useable and functional for almost any work, and if necessary even sliding through ribs.

A great knife.

[katana]

Very nice functional knife....I like it.

Although the handle decoration suggests its .....Radioactive
Double the lethalness

Nice job on the scabbard, is it brass plate over wood? How did you emboss/engrave the brass?

[Battara]

Thank you folks!

The scabbard is brass sheet over wood. I chased and stamped the brass with tools in a similar manner as they did and in the same style. I also soldered the brass sheet to itself on the other side (which the original would also have been) with a final soft soldering of the tip.

I also cleaned up the hilt - it had some kind of white hard adhesive on parts of it.

[Battara]

Here are some other pictures including the maker's mark in the form of a shamsir. I see this on other Sarajevo blades of this period. Anyone know who this maker was?

[TVV]

I do not think there was only one maker. To me it appears that this symbol was copied in a manner similar to the eyelashes marking, and was more of a stamp of quality. On these knives certain inscriptions seem to have been copied as well. For example I have a bichaq with an inscription "Sarajevo 1894", which is almost identical to one in a small book issued by Hermann-Historica called "Dolche und Messer aus dem Persischen KulturRaum". Note the 4th dagger from the left.
Regards,
Teodor

[Rick]

Here is my example of Bichaq and a close-up of the maker's mark.

[Lew]

Here are 3 from my collection. Two have the scimitar mark the little one is dated 1893.


Lew

[Rick]

I have seen so far not another mark like this one.

[aspalathos]

Originally Posted by Battara

Here are some other pictures including the maker's mark in the form of a shamsir. I see this on other Sarajevo blades of this period. Anyone know who this maker was?

Hello that letter f mean Foča, its name of old town ,where knifes like that was made.In that time they are produced on many places but Foča and Sarayevo was No1...

[ariel]

Originally Posted by Montino Bourbon

I heard that there was a study by the Swedish army on military knives, and they came up with the fact that the best all-around military knife ended up looking like... a chef's knife!

This knife is of that sort; totally useable and functional for almost any work, and if necessary even sliding through ribs.

A great knife.

In a Russian book about fighting knives, the author gives the highest marks to Barong. Of course, the technique and the preferred way of "scoring" are important: barong would not be good for stabbing and is too heavy, but for the heavy-duty slashing few models coud beat it. Moroccan Koummya is a vicious little bugger: very economical edge-wise with generous unsharpened ricasso that increases strength of the blade. Sometimes, form can be deceving: kindjals look like pure stabbers, but in fact were used mostly as slashers ( stabbing was regarded as "poor taste").
Even though stabbing has higher chance of inflicting mortal wound, slashing causes a lot of bleeding, disorientation of the opponent and, if placed right, disarming him ( think of slashing wrist tendons!). Then, one can choose the final strike. Slower, less elegant, but surer.

[Tatyana Dianova]

Battara, I think it is not possible at the moment to answer who this Frank Karl was. But the inscription is from the same period as the scabbard, judging from its look.
I'm not 100% sure if the blade is laminated (I will test it this weekend), but it is definitely differentially hardened!

[TVV]

Here is another one that ended on eBay today - somewhat unusual pommel, but what is really intiguing is the leather sheath instead of the typical wooden scabbard encased in brass:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...MEWA:IT&ih=010

[Tatyana Dianova]

Well, the blade of my bichaq is laminated, has many layers, but it is not very spectacular and difficult to picture. I am pretty sure, that it is purely functional lamination and it wasn't supposed to be etched.

[Lew]

The lamination seems to remind me of shear steel I would not consider this blade a true pattern welded steel. If you take wrought iron and forge it to shape and etch it you will see the same pattern. My feeling is that this blade could have been forged from shear steel since it was exported all over the world by Britain during the late 1800s which is when I would place this daggers age.


Lew

[Valjhun]

And here mine bosnian bichaqs. Only two are marketd.

[gp]

Originally Posted by Tatyana Dianova

Battara, I think it is not possible at the moment to answer who this Frank Karl was. But the inscription is from the same period as the scabbard, judging from its look.
I'm not 100% sure if the blade is laminated (I will test it this weekend), but it is definitely differentially hardened!

all these knives, cuttlery sets, daggers, kamas, bichaqs, small yataghans and yataghans made from white horn were made in Sarajevo, Foca and a few in Mostar by local craftsmen after the creation of the The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry (Bosnisch-Hercegovinische Infanterie Regimente ), AKA "die Bosniaken " in 1882.
Junior officers and NCOs came from their own ( i.e. Bosnian) ranks but officers from the Habsburgian army; some Hungarian but most Austrian.
These weapons were used as gifts, souvenirs or for display at some ceremonial tasks by officers and local dignitaries ( including the Mayor of Sarajevo) between 1882 and 1916
FYI: most of the "Bosniaks" were from Bosnia and Hercegowina ( >95%) but from all confessions; just poor boys looking for food, clothing and some kind of future; shelter / security in life away from poverty and were of Catholic ( "Croats") , Orthodox ("Serbs", "Vlachs", "Montenegrins"), Muslim descent and last but not least a few percent of Roma background belonging to each of the mention religions .

So Frank Karl was either an officer (can easily be looked up in Vienna's archives and some online records) or a local dignitary or businessman from Austrian or German (Schwabendeutscher) background , which can also be found in either the Austrian or Bosnian archives

[Battara]

GP, this is fantastic! More info than we ever had on this type of knife. I have always wondered on these. Thank so much for your contributions here!

The only thing I could add is that usually one wears green in public like this if one were Muslim and has been on the Hajj. Do you think this would this apply to green hilts on these knives as well?

[gp]

Originally Posted by Battara

GP, this is fantastic! More info than we ever had on this type of knife. I have always wondered on these. Thank so much for your contributions here!

The only thing I could add is that usually one wears green in public like this if one were Muslim and has been on the Hajj. Do you think this would this apply to green hilts on these knives as well?

Not only green is the colour of the religion involved but according to their haddiths : white, red, green, black and yellow.

Although for the hajj often the colour green is indeed used, I would not think it to be applicable for a couple of reasons:

1.Bosnia had next to the standard Sunni community quite a lot of Sufi's like the Naqshbandi, Mevlani and some Bektashi who would not be involded in a hajj that much.
2. Pilgrims who had been on a hajj in the 19th century had to have financial resources and would prefferably go for silver and golden or at least plated ones or with gold plated inscriptions.
3. last but not least these knives, daggers, bichaqs and kamas were made for "foreigners" and thus mostly "unbelievers" and after 1882.

So I would presume it to be a simple variance to the white bone ones which are typical Bosnian. Perhaps for a commercial reason ?

These greens ones are not that rare or sought after and do not fetch that fancy or higher prices and are not a high priority on the collector's list of that region. I have not seen green ones outside this type

People would trade easily 3 green ones for a Mostar one...
R U watching Detlef..?
By the way: I only have white bone ones and will soon add pics here and am not looking out for a green one

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by gp

all these knives, cuttlery sets, daggers, kamas, bichaqs, small yataghans and yataghans made from white horn were made in Sarajevo, Foca and a few in Mostar by local craftsmen after the creation of the The Bosnian-Herzegovinian Infantry (Bosnisch-Hercegovinische Infanterie Regimente ), AKA "die Bosniaken " in 1882.

This one I received a few days ago, the first one I've seen which is signed with Mostar so I think it's worth to get posted here for our records.

[gp]

Originally Posted by Sajen

This one I received a few days ago, the first one I've seen which is signed with Mostar so I think it's worth to get posted here for our records.

Sarajevo ones are commen although there is a huge variance in their sizes and handles.
Foča ones , you do not see so often on the market and mostly a couple of times per year and smaller ones only.

But yours more then worth as next to good quality it is the second one I saw in 5 years time. My compliment !!!! Excellent catch.

[Sajen]

Originally Posted by gp

But yours more then worth as next to good quality it is the second one I saw in 5 years time. My compliment !!!! Excellent catch.

Thank you GP! I've assumed that it is rare but don't have known that it such rare. But like said, I've handled some of this bichaqs but don't remember to have seen one from Mostar.

Regards,
Detlef

PS: I watch!