The Khyber is more properly called a charay or salawar (equivalently, charas, churea, salawar yatagan). Referred to as a “Khyber”, in reference to the treacherous mountain pass to Afghanistan where the Pashtun tribes reside, the salawar is well known to every army that has attempted to conquer the tribes of Afghanistan. With its distinctive T-shaped blade, it is exceptionally strong all along its length and ideal for piercing armor as well as cutting attacks. This style of blade can also be found in the salawar’s small cousins, the choora and pesh-kabz. Khyber swords and the smaller knife variant, the Choora, are typical of the Pashtun tribes of the Khyber pass region of Afghanistan. First used in Indo-Persia, this form quickly spread east and derived its common name from its famed use against the British by the tribes of the Khyber Pass area. The scabbard is worn thrust, unsecured, in a number of positions under a belt with blades ranging from 14” to 30” in length.
