Silver Ottoman wootz Kindjal

The ‘Kindjal’ or ‘Khandjali’ is a type of dubbel edged dagger which is mainly found in the Caucasus regions and Central Asia. The ‘Kindjal’ is, depending on origin, often decorated with precious metals such as ivory, silver or gold. The blades are usually made of high-quality steel with a variety of fullers, of whom some are made of a twist core steel pattern. While most blade are plain and polished, we also encounter examples with chiseled fortes.

This example:
A rather unusual example which clearly can be classified as ‘kindjal’ due to its general shape, however the wootz blade and silver filigree fittings show a strong Ottoman influence as can be seen on Kurdish ‘khanjar’ daggers and ‘Yataghan’.

The hilt is full clad in silver and has a fine inlayed filigree pattern decorated with silver lozenge-shaped appliqués and a pearl rim alongside the outlines. The scabbard consists of two wooden slabs, held together by two silver fittings with a complicated decor of filigreework depicting arabesque patterns, altered with lozenges. The mid section of the scabbard was covered in a small remain of old, worn goat leather wich was restored with new green goat leather.

The blade:
In typical ‘kindjal’ shape, straight and double edged. The entire blade is made of very fine wootz steel, which could be Persian or Turkish. The blade has a small fuller on the forte and two narrow fullers on the mid section of the blade. The tip is reinforced, made to push through armor and chainmail.