Yemeni Jambiya
AN43 Yemeni Hadhramaut Jamibiya
This is a small janbiya (Jambiya), probably for a child or very young man, from the Hadhramaut region of Yemen.
Piso Ni Data
This is a Piso Ni Datu c. late 1800's from the Batak people of northern Sumatra.
The Piso Ni Datu sword was considered so powerful that it was not kept in the home but outside, in its own house. The power derives from the "twins" featured on the hilt and scabbard. In many societies including the Batak, twins are considered magical or mystical. It is thought they share a common soul.
Berber Shula
Berber Shula
This is a Moroccan Berber Shula knife. The blade is 13¼ inch (35 cm) long, curved with a single single edge and an acute point. There is a long unsharpened false edge on the back of the blade. The knife bears the typical style of blade decoration of this North African type and is up to 0.18 inch (0.45 cm) thick along the spine. On both sides of the blade, a wide central fuller extends from hilt to ¾ of the length of the blade and contains decorative unidentified engraving. A narrower fuller is found along the back of the blade. The main side of the blade has a complex grind while the back side of the edge is flat. The hilt is formed by two horn scales riveted together with four rivets and with the display face decorated with geometric designs in black and brass wire inserts.
Berber Shula Hilt Main Detail
Uyghur Bıçak
This is a very rare example of antique 19th century knife, the Bıçak, from the Central Asian Islamic Emirate of Bukhara, previously Turkistan, present - day Uzbekistan.
The shape of this blade differs from other Bıçak in ways that suggest it was created by an Uyghur smith. The Uyghur (Uighur, Uigur) are a Turkic ethnic group principally residing in the Xinjiang, China area called the Tarim Basin. However, there are significant diasporic communities of Uyghurs in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia.
Rencong Meukure
I'm very pleased to find this rencong meukure. Unlike the other types of rencong, this type features runes and other markings on the blade that signify its magical properties.
Paiwan Knife in Open Scabbard
This is a tradition knife of the Paiwan aboriginal tribe of the island of Taiwan. The half or open scabbard, one side wood, is found thoughout SE Asia.
Welcome
I realized that I have no chronological history of when I added to my collection or what I was thinking at the time. This blog will contain entries for each new item I acquire. It will also occasionally contain a bit of information that some of you might find useful, someday. Honestly, it is odd and wonderful when I receive email from visitors who are asking about one of my weapons, or telling me about theirs, or thanking me for some bit of info that they found. That's nice.
But here is also a reminder: This web site is intended for my use. It is my extended memory. Everything else is a bonus.
Now I'm going to do a time warp thing and add backdated posts for the last half dozen or so additions to my collection.
