This is a mid-19th Century pesh-kabz knife from Afghanistan. Pesh-kabz were designed and developed as fighting knives and are characterised by their hollow-ground, single-edged blades with a full tang to which a pair of grip scales are attached. The blade can be straight, curved or recurved (yataghan) with a thick, often T cross-section spine for strength and rigidity.
The 280mm yataghan blade has a thick, T-section spine and terminates in a needle-sharp point. The blade is 46mm wide at the bolstered shoulder. The spine has a hump-backed ridge running down it, and is decorated from point to pommel with a pattern of incised lines, eyelash marks and leaves. The belly of the spine has an incised chevron pattern. The blade is razor sharp and is in good condition with some faint sharpening scratches and a small patch of shallow pitting on each side towards the point.
The characteristic full tang hilt is gripped with bone scales. The bone has a wonderful patina and is in good condition. What appears at first glance to be a crack at the top of the hilt, is in fact a natural feature of the bone from which the grip scales are carved. The scales are firmly fixed to the tang with iron rivets. The end of the tang forms a characteristic birds-head pommel that incorporates a skull crusher protrusion.
The knife is complete with its brass covered wooden scabbard. The brass is intricately decorated with patterns made up of individually punched dots. The chevron-like pattern on the blade spine is echoed on the scabbard. The scabbard is in good condition with wear and dings commensurate with its age and use. The knife sheathes and draws smoothly and is held firmly within its scabbard.
This is a good, used example of a mid-19th Century Afghan tribesman’s pesh-kabz knife.
