Obscure Weapons: Qama/Kindjal/Khanjali
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- Опубліковано 15 жов 2024
- Not such an obscure weapon, but also not as widely known or understood as it should be! The Persian, Caucasian, Georgian variations of qama, kindjal and khanjali.
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I was born in Kazakhstan and I had a Chechen friend, she told me how in their culture the Kindjal had a super great significance of being the symbol of tradition, manliness, honor and stuff like that when it was passed from fathers (or other elder relatives) to sons. And although the Chechens are famous for being super martial and also very famous for fathers imposing quite martial macho standards on boys at quite a young age, she was very clear that this Kindjal inheritance culture however was actually explicitly not about real violence, but much more about tradition, values and so on.
А осетин Лермонтов обгадил. Максим Максимыч говорит в повести Бэла, что у них даже нормальных кинжалов нет, ну и в целом идёт описание, что осетины живут, как бомжи. Не знаю почему, но Лермонтов не любил осетин. Какие - то у него личные антипатии не заслуженные. Но так или иначе - выражает это через описания их плохих кинжалов. Осетинам, моё уважение, если что.
As an Adyghe, I can confirm that his. It's very deeply rooted within our culture, and not owning one is unimaginable.
I think I've heard similar things about some cultures within the Middle-East around the jambiya/dagger. I always liked the inherited sword/dagger element involved with cultural rights of passage. Definitely gives the occasion a lot more impact and symbolism.
@@lathrael7152 What would an outsider have to do to be given one of those?
Свободы тайный страж, карающий кинжал,
Последний судия Позора и Обиды.
Just sharing what I know about these. In circassian traditional culture the Kindjal is a weapon every man has to carry all the time once he reaches the age and is as much a tool for everyday use as a fearsome weapon. You never know what lemons life gives you. The design behing it is quick draw - quick thrust and all about it is made so you don't have to do it twice. It's a very close combat weapon so no fancy fencing here, they had other weapons for that. Those "protruding rivets" are a very important and interesting part of the design and are actually thumb holders. The front knob is for the specific Kindjal grip - you rest your thumb on it like you're pushing on it and hold the blade horizontally so it can easily slide between ribs and assure a swift kill. The back knob is also a thumb rest but this time for the reversed grip. This way, your grip is much stronger and your hand wouldn't slide downwards on the blade if you happen to deliver a powerful blow. Obviously you still can slash/cut pretty effectively and hold it like a normal short sword but it would be uncomfortable, especially for people with bigger hands. Also, I've seen circassian djigits use it surprisingly effectively as a throwing dagger but once again, just look at this point, the design behind it is pretty clear. Very popular among cossacks, the Russian Imperial Army also used a curved version of these called "beboot" among soldiers who could not carry a full sized weapon like a shashka.
Very interesting topic you have there Matt! I very much hope you will dig in further into caucasian and cossack culture. They are unfortunately, as you say, pretty obscure to most people!
Very interesting, particularly about the rivets - which didn't look to make for a comfortable hold.
Ran to check my grip on the replica I have. Found out I had basically been doing something similar. I've wondered why they were made that way. Knew it had to be for a reason, and "It looks better, who cares if it hurts a bit?" is not normally a real answer.
Thanks for the information. Cheers!
Your point about holding the blade horizontally is very important. While in movies this isn't usually shown, anyone who's actually used an edged weapon against an opponent would know that a far more effective thrust and penetration would be achieved with the blade held horizontally. Not only are you more likely to avoid hitting bone in the 'center of mass', most major blood vessels run vertically (more or less) so the widest wound is wanted to increase your chance to sever a major blood vessel. These things weren't made just to look good, there was a time not so long ago when they were vitally important kit for anyone who wanted to grow old.
I'm Georgian myself and I've been gifted Khanjals on several occasions. You'll often see embellishments like grapes, Borjgali and other Georgian ornaments on the scabbard.
Some cultures give people cool decorative knives as gifts and I got stuck in one that gives you novelty socks and mugs
😂@@Sergei_Ivanovich_Mosin
The original Georgian name for that type of dagger is Satevari, in Chechnya/Ingushetiya Shalta and Adighean Se, Khanjali is later influenced by Persian culture. In Georgian language there are many original words that have been substituted by persian or arabic words. As an archaeologist I can assure you that this type of dagger is used in caucasus from the early bronze age until today, continuously. If you're interested I can provide more details.
Fun fact: the word "kindjal" in Russian language is used to discribe any kind of dagger. The word "dagger" also exists in Russian language, but is only used to describe parrying dagger.
Not "dagger", but "daga", which came from Spanish. But this is not a common word at all. I am russian)
Interesting - in polish adevnture/historical books (ones written by Henryk Sienkiewicz in 19th century) , as far as my memory goes, 'kindzal' is used to describe eastern daggers, while western ones go more often by 'mizerykordia' or other names. Mind you though I'm thinking of books describing 2 distinct historical periods, one about 17th century (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Trilogy), other about 15th (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Knights_of_the_Cross).
wonderful Sienkiewicz was not a specialist in all that weapons, but the books were grate, though fictional. No need to take him seriously as an expert
@@YosdudAfata A Misericordia is a Stiletto Dagger and it was a common term for them. Misericordia translates to Mercy Bringer as it was used by knights to finish their opponent, the stiletto being able to punch through mail. So the story goes at least.
Кинжал is definitely the more common word for "dagger" specifically, but loanwords for varieties are used, like in english, latin word pugio is usually used to distinguish from other double bladed knives.
As a Circassian, I am really excited that it's now being covered!
In the Bulgarian language (which is closely related to Russian and at the same time has thousands of Turkish words in it), the words kama, kindjal and khandjar all mean a dagger(although khandjar could just mean a big knife and is not commonly used). Aside from its historical martial applications, in modern times this design of knives is often associated with the Gerogian/Caucass folklore dress and their folklore dances. Specifically their famous knife dances.
Like the pitsak dance of the Greeks of pontus ( black sea modern day Turkey) who by the way they also call " kama" their double edged daggers 😉
I have the impression that in Bulgarian “kama” is used for some smaller, stiletto-kind of knives. At least in my mind, it’s like kama < kindjal < khandjar, where khanjar is biggest, machette-like blade. The blade shown in the video is bigger than anything I can imagine as kama :)))
@@dimitariliew in Serbian kama is a big two edged knixe,dagger.Always weapon not bacon and onion slicer.
@@dimitariliew You right, the dagger in the video is too large, as they are usually about 10inches in later days, but they were longer versions in the past used as main close combat weapon rather than a backup to the shashka. Same was common in africa and germany as well with their knives.
"I hope thats been interesting"
Yes. It was, is. Thank you Matt.
Or you've heard of the khindjal because you're a fan of Dune.
May thy knife chip and shatter!
This in the hand of an enemy can draw our your life's blood!
And of course Herbert put it in (along with other Caucasian terms like "Padishah") because he'd been reading a book about the various rebellions in the region.
The slow blade penetrates the shield
@@stamfordly6463 See the discussion. The word is widely borrowed. IIRC, the kindjals used in Dune were curved, and therefore not the Persian form. One of my old friends was a passionate admirer of the Persians and would go on for a very long time about how the Dune weapon was "not a kindjal" however you spell it.
Excellent against Holtzmann shields.
as russian it's so weird to hear the word "Kindjal" (кинжал) used to describe a specific dagger and not just all daggers
Given the fact that the word Kindjal is certain not Russian in origin and probably adopted rather lately, I wonder what the Russian word for dagger was originally.
@@albertdittel8898 тыкалка (it's a joke btw)
@@misadate8688 Не знаю, может на самом деле просто "нож"? Не могу найти в интернете.
@@albertdittel8898 мб, а мб какое старославянское
Word kinjal was adopted in russian language not later than in 1500th or earlier
Qama, Qama, Qama, Qama, Qama chameleon...
You qama go, you qama gooooo :)
You really are a man of knowledge regarding your blades. I could listen to you all day long. Fantastic!!
In Russian culture this weapon is usually associated with caucasian highlanders. Pushkin was very interested in Caucasus, its people and traditions, so he mentions kinjal in many of his works. As well as e.g. Lermontov or others. Kinjal has a big place in Russian written culture mostly because the highest peak of Russian literature development was on the 1st part of 19th century, at the same time as Caucasian war. Many famous writers of noble blood served on Caucasus during this war, too. Kinjal is also a ceremonial weapon of many of the Southern Russian people. I would say in some regions it has importance and ceremonial value similar to a katana in Japan.
It's Caucasian culture not Russian since during that time it was not part of Russian territory
Love the symmetrical double edged blade.
I first learned about the kindjal from lermontovs "a hero of our time".
Great book
@@LuxisAlukard Yeah, I love the russian books set in the caucuses, especially "a hero of our time" and tolstoys "the cossaks".
kindjal basically means dagger in modern Russian language
@@aimmlegate Yeah I know, im Croatian, in croatian its spelled kindžal, and the word basically means a double edged dagger, but the word is mostly associated with this specific caucasian/russian dagger.
Idem
The world "kindjal" in the version - "kindżał" (kindjau) is used in Polish Language, and means "a dagger with eastern roots".
Czołem waszmości
I've fenced with these and the protruding rivets play an interesting role in the way Georgian's tell us to fight with them. We're taught to fight point down and do these raking cuts followed by reverse thrusts right where you cut. I can also confirm these are still highly produced and worn in Georgia, or at least in Khevsuretti.
So you are from Khevsureti I suppose? I would suspect you guys don't have internet yet...?
@@albertdittel8898 no, just someone who has trained their arts.
@@tommyss4l OK, so where was that? I would guess that their arts are not very widespread outside of Georgia?
@@tommyss4l Also I have a question right away: in the videos I always see that khevsurian martial art are using those bucklers and strange short swords with a dull point. But I didn't find that kind of weapon in the internet, all I find is the khevsurian "back-/broadsword/Palash" (хевсурский палаш in Russian). So what are those short swords in the dancing videos?
@@albertdittel8898 I know it as a kamali, I think is the spelling.
Oooo Mat covering something relevant to Georgia yayyy.
Georgian name of this type of dagger is "satevari" (სატევარი)
It's said that name ხანჯალი (Khanjali) was introduced from Persia in XVIII.
The Imperial Russian Artillery carried Kindjals as side arms in the 19th century up until WW1. The blade was curved on these.
It's a very broad term in Russian.
The curved one was called "bebut" and carried by machine gun troops
That is a bebut and it appeared in the south caucasus (and got adapted by Russians in ww1) as a hybrid between the caucasus dagger hilt and Persian curved daggers, yet increasingly it doesn't appear in Persia
In russian term "kinjal" describes any pointed, usually double-edged knife, or even every knife used as weapon. Kinjal in russian means every dirk, dagger, ka-bar, mauser 98k bayonet, fairbairn-sykes, etc. Simply "combat knife".
I've read Dune many times and lived in Georgia too.. I should really buy one of these things.
I saw one of these in Amman in an antique shop with very simple ivory grips and the absolute smoothest grinds on the paneled blade that I've ever seen. Looked like plate glass.
My feeling on the offset fullers is that without a top and bottom fullering die (whether handheld or a spring die) offset fullers are a hell of a lot easier to forge in on an anvil.
I often wonder if these go back to the Scythian swords (acinaces, if I remember correctly)
Ahh, a new Matt Easton video, the perfect way to top off the week.
*holds up short gladius* the is the qama
Me: hobbit gladius
As for Sakartvelo (historical name of Georgia), they have historical stereotype of a brave individual they call "Jigit" (or "Dzhigit"). And mandatory attribute of any Jigit is kinjal.
Good presentation. Thanks. Daggers are intriguing…
What a fascinating weapon. Another great job!
This was fascinating! Thankyou for the information.
About the names kindjal, khanjali more likely have there origin from the Arabic word (khanjar خنجر) which means dagger but you need to remember that the older name for this style of daggers in georgia is satevari the word khanjali is believed to become common in the time period of the persian rule but the interesting thing is that under the persian rule we mostly see the persian curved daggers appears to the common, also mostly in georgia the word khanjali after being adopted is usually used for the smaller and shorter examples of the qama type of dagger while the word satevari is used for lager ones, another name in the nakh languages (chechen, ingush, batsbi) it is called "shalt", as several others pointed the word kindjal in Russian and other Eastern European countries that use that word simply means dagger (as any type of dagger), I am not sure about the origin of the word qama or as the Persians say it qammeh but it is believed to have its origin from Turkic languages.
About the origin theories I would like to point that the caucasus region (when I say that I mean both North and South) had daggers of similar shape since the bronze age and that is one of the origin theories, the other and the most famous is that it has its origin from the the roman gladiolus the problem with that is as pointed before this design already exists in the caucasus at times of the Romans but if we get to the 7th century for example we don't see that in the North we have a huge khazar influence and in the south (georgia and Armenian) we see byzantine influences until persians came and we starte to persian influence, and we don't start to see this style of dagger appear until the 17th century in painting in Churchs and manuscripts and the earliest examples we have (as far as I am aware) is from late 18th century, so there is a huge time gap between the gladiolus and this style of daggers, about the persian influences if we are talking about antiquity as stated before before this design is already there, if about later time periods Persians mostly had curved daggers and made them popular in the North Caucasus, in fact it is mostly that it started making its way to persia around the early 19th century (I am not very sure about this), this is why alot of people go with the possibility of it just becoming a thing in the caucasus in the 17th century mostly.
Now about it being used by cossacks,Russians and eastern europeans it started with the Russians locating cossacks in the caucasus which made them adapt the Caucasian weapons and clothing and as they did the spread it to wherever they went.
My ideas may not be properly put here as I am sleepy as hell, so forgive me if this is hard to read, and try to over look spelling and grammar mistakes my English is not great.
And feel free to ask I will try to answer you as much as my knowledge allows .
საღოლ, ძმა! This man right here, people! This is the good stuff!
I thank you cousin for the information and I add that Circassians call this weapon Qama which is a construct of two words Qa which means Grave and Ma which means Smell so the meaning will be (the smell of the grave) because it is a kind of weapon used in close combat.
Khanjar is not arabic its persian
@@alirezarezaei2976 I checked you are right, thanks for telling me
@@biltonoxcho1471 Your welcome friend
Stay safe
It's brutal simplicity warms my heart. Who wouldn't do well with one of those hanging from their belt?
In Georgia even a short poem dedicated to khanjali(ხანჯალი)- "გლესავ და გლესავ ხანჯალო, ამოგიფერავ გულსაო"- smth. like -" I sharpen thee my khanjal, would love to see your heart glowing...". It is an essential part of national costume and, since people in Caucasus are pretty quick-tempered ,it could ve been
used in street clashes rather than on the battlefield... and besides, here is another Roman version: Pompei invaded Iberia(then Georgia) in 65 b.c. who knows may be his legions introduced this weapon
Hi, I am from Georgia and personally I do not use this names for this type of dagger. For me it is "Sat'evari" (word from verb "sheteva"- To strike) ( I can not speak for all Georgians) (Sorry for my broken English)
a classical looking weapon that can still make a lot of scenes.
The word [qama], or in Cyrillic script [Къамэ] literally translates to to "grave smell/scent" in the Adyghe(north west Caucasian) language .
[qa] Къа(or Къэ) : grave.
[ma] мэ : smell.
(p.s: i don't speak the the language myself, but i have many relatives who do as part of the Circassian diaspora in the Middle East)
Great video as always matt, keep up the good work.
That is not true. The word “Qama” is of turkic origin, in addition to this, the word for grave in the Circassian language is кхъащхьэ, a word similar in sound and meaning is кхъэ (cemetery), but still, there is no word “къа» in the Adyghe language at all. You've stumbled upon a classic example of folk etymology.
@@АлександрШляпик-н3б Не ври, тюрок! Къамэ это чисто черкесское слово заимствованное от них другими!!!
@@platonsocrat7935 какой я тебе тюрок, адыгэ псалъэкъым ар.
@@platonsocrat7935 мащэм щхьэ «къа» псалъэр жаlу зыхэпха?
@@АлександрШляпик-н3б дэнэ щыпцlыхурэ?? Ар тырку псалъэкъым, тыркухэм апхуэдэ псалъэ яlэкъым. Армырами езым яйри ямейри, хъури мыхъури, псори езым яйуэ ягъэувыну пылъхэщ! Уэри уакъыщlыдежьур сыт??
Hi Matt, cheers from long time viewer from Georgia!
Well, as you asked for comments :) From Georgian side, I would agree to 99% you said - just two minor corrections:
In Khanjali in Georgian both "a" sound as "ah" (as in Anglia or Iran)
The Russian poet you mention was probably not Pushkin, but Lermontov - imperial officer (and guy of Scottish origin BTW)
And fun fact :) - you can wear Khanjali and other traditional bladed weapons in public as long as you are dressed in national costume.
never heard or seen this before. Thanks for bringing it to my attention :)
I directly though gladius/pugio when I saw it
"Kinjal" in Russian ALWAYS means a straight, long, double-edged, narrow-tipped thrusting weapon. While acknowledged as originating in the Middle East or the Caucasus, the word can easily also apply to western European daggers that satisfy the above description, so for instance the rondell dagger would still be rendered into Russian as "kinjal".
agree. to add: the russian phraseologism: "kinjal attack" is not associated with caucasian, but more to a specific dugger that all knows as a focus pointy weapon meant for fast attack with immediate final.
Rondel daggers are not double-edged (some don't have an edge at all). Are they still be referred to as 'kinjal' in Russian because they are long thrusting daggers, or is there another historical word for them?
@@quintoblanco8746 Yes rondel dagger is 'kinjal' because functionality is more important than some technical details, at least in the mass consciousness of Russian-speaking people. But of course, there will always be some stubborn people who will argue that a rondel with one cutting edge is a knife(нож), and a rondel without cutting edges is a stiletto(стилет) - simply because such definitions are given in some book by some person who classifies edged weapons. This is something from the category - a katana is a saber, not a sword.
Hey Matt, greeting from Georgia.
Here are a couple of interesting things about khanjali I can tell you off the top of my head.
Firstly, it's part of our national costume and in fact, it's one of the few ways in which you can lawfully carry a cold weapon on you - as a part of the costume. Although those are often blunt, as far as I know.
The other is that there apparently existed a sort of ritualistic duel in mountainous parts of Georgia where the combatants would stand squared to each other and hide their khanjali behind their backs, as to make the angle - and the hand used - of the attack more unpredictable. There are some 360p videos of people sparring in that way on youtube, I believe
Thank you for this video! I have had several people asking me to make them daggers of this variety and I now have a jumping off point to further research them before attempting to make one!
Finally a qama on scholagladiatoria! Than you Matt.
Worth noting that Transcaucasia, which includes modern Georgia was, on and off, part of the Parthian/Persian empire for centuries.
Finally ceded to Russia in the early 19th Century.
Great video as always Matt, I really enjoyed it as a Georgian.It's a second video that I've come across about these blades. Idk much about the usage in other cultures, but here it is still very popular, you might even meet someone carrying a blade like that in the streets but it's a rare occurrence. Georgian word for Khanjali is Satevari, I don't believe it was borrowed from persians but since persian culture was so influencial in the region we might have adopted the word. Georgian language has many foreign words which have their own georgian counterparts that just grew out of fashion. Georgian Satevari-Khanjali was much like a commoners side arm worn on daily basis, idk what other blade to compare, it was probably most like a cinquedea or a wakizashi. Nobles and peasants alike wore the blade all the time and it was never a main weapon of war more like a symbol of status (the blades were individually made and often displayed the wealth of the person) and a self defence tool. One more thing is that when visiting someone, men would give their weapons to the woman of the host's household but they'd always keep the Khanjali. Also Georgian Khanjali had secondary daggers in the back of the scabbard, they were called Shvili or Shvilebi, (child, children). They were small knives neatly fitted into the backside of the scabbard mainly used for normal daily activities such as cutting food. The blades still remain a part of our national dress and you can often see national ballet dancers with these blades. Anyways thx for your videos and I hope youll find my comment somewhat interesting
Good afternoon ! gaumardjos sakartvelos! When I was born, my uncle (my mother's brother) put a satevari dagger in aquani (with me (baby cradle აკვანი) - it belonged to my great-grandfather, he was tall because his satevari was 60 cm. and said that I would grow up a strong warrior and not afraid of the enemy...!
As a Georgian Khanjali has a great cultural and historical significance! it is an important part of our traditional costume and has been side arm protector in battle and main guardian in every day civilian life.
Speaking of its origin, NO, khanjali is not persian in origin, it dates back to the bronze age short swords that were common in the Caucasus. Its original name might have been Satevari or something else, but like today barbarism in language was very common, a lot of words have been forgotten and replaced by dominant Empires language. Persia has been harassing Georgia for thousands of years.
you can see the bronze age essence in the weapon, wide and with solid hilt, like it was cast rather than forged. you couldn't make a long sword with copper and bronze so the sape stuck as tradition.
i think just like todays old merchants in bazar use a lot of Russian infused language, old blacksmiths or most likely merchants started to use Persian words to sell to Persian elites that were controlling the region at the time, so it went from slang and barbarism to an official term.
Indeed they are still being made in Georgia, I bought a very fine piece from a knifemaker there for my cousin's wedding gift.
I have had several Kindjals in my collection over many years. The blades can be pattern welded in a twist pattern like a Turkish gun barrel or made of Wootz. Georgia makes pattern welded Kindjal today; that can be purchased on Ebay!
Finally more Eastern European weapons. Keep them coming.
I'm a dagger and short sword guy. Glad you're taking a look at fighting knives.
The name of this weapon in north caucasian Circassian language is Qama Къамэ and it is made of two words Qa which means Grave and Ma which means Smell which all together means The smell of the grave because it is a last close combat weapon
I dug one of those up in my Granda's garden when I was a kid. We gave it into the local museum to get it checked out. They said it was a Cossack knife from troops traveling through Greenock in WWII. It was interesting, they said the handle was human bone and it was decorated in gold leaf. We couldn't tell, it was badly rusted and in two pieces. The blade was about a foot and a half long. I think it's in a box at my dad's house wrapped up in tissue paper.
The Woolly Mammoth tusks ivory was sourced for centuries out of the North Cost of Siberia and sold by several metric tonnes annually to the Central Asia and Middle East markets and used for swords handle manufacturing and other decorative purposes. International trade of mammoth ivory is legal as far as I know.
I like that fuller design the offset seems to make a lot of sense to me
As a russian guy i recall kinjal comes from Caucasus here. Particularly from over-caucasus region which mostly was a part of Persian empire or had a strong trading connections to it. In fact we indeed use the word “kinjal” for any dagger or even some knives, which look good for stabbing.
It’s also possible that parts of medieval russian armory have roots in persian/ islamic world, as well as some church architecture (hence the onion shaped domes) and those famous “babushka» kerchiefs (basically a fancy hijab, and worn for the same reason, often same way by orthodox christian women).
Yeah we have a lot of cultural connections with old Persia I believe
I bought a Quama & made a very nice Roman era short sword, about 20 inches of blade with wooden pommel & hilt and a round wooden grip. It's a smaller version of the gladius. I inlaid a brass plate into the front of the hilt & engraved 'Spiculus' (Sting) into it. It's more of a weapon that would have easily been seen in the arena in ancient Rome.
In 1997 visiting the Grand Bazaar in Istambul I came across a knife shop full of Kindjals with or without scabbards, or just Kindjal blades for sale. It was one of the most beautiful collection of knives I had seen.
I have a devil's edge version which has a very sharp very good blade don't really care for their traditional handle... Then I have the Cobra steel tactical version with a rubber grip and it thrusts and cuts wonderfully... And night there were very expensive either and they're really well-made. Do I would consider them a shortsword more than a dagger.
My favorite series, always informative !
The exact word for dagger in Persian in general is "Khanjar" (without d of course) but this type of khanjar is called "ghame" in Iran. however there is another term for this kind of dagger "Deşnē, Deshneh", and yes they are still commonly produced in Iran for ceremony and symbolic purposes but they also can be used to cut things... not razor sharp though.
Interesting, in Swanety the similar word - dashna means sword, in Khevsurety it means a guardless short sword. I am aware of early mention of deshne in Persian military manuscripts, but was it ever described? How do we know this type of dagger in Persia was called deshne? And what do quadara?
@@vakhtangkiziria7820 It is very interesting I did not know that term is also used in Georgia. How do I know this type of dagger in Persia was called deshne? it was mentioned in Persian literature like the epic of "Shahname" (the book of kings)
Another typically fascinating video. And what a lot of fascinating comments too- always a good sign. Thanks again.
As a bowmaker (for stringed instruments, not arrows), I've used many different materials for the frogs (the bit at the back end that holds the hair): wood, horn, cow bone, and mammoth ivory, among others. The most exotic material for me, though, is fossil walrus jawbone. It's a lot cheaper than the fossil teeth, because it's porous and doesn't have that wonderful grain. But it has its own charm, although damnably hard to work.
cheers from sunny Vienna, Scott
As a Georgian i can tell you that it is a part of National attire. It is deeply engrained into the culture. On traditional Georgian dress Chockha, men would wear belt with a dagger and also on their chest there are pockets for paper cartridges, or preloaded gunpowder and ball charges. Khanjali (you would pronounce it as Xanjali) as we call it. was a utility tool not just a weapon. generally small ones were considered utility tools and sort of a EDC item. Bigger ones with blades that were up to 20-25 inches and more than 2 inches wide (you can see them in museums and they were called Satevari), they were considered weapons. We do not have a precise info from where we got them. But we speculate that it comes from the common ancestry with blades Gladius, Xiphos, and pretty much all straight double edged weapons, starting from the bronze age.
It is still very popular and you can find ton of cheap tourist ones everywhere, but there are also good custom made ones as well. and also antiques. But with antiques it tricky because a lot of blades in pattern welded steel were mere in the North Caucasus. So as Matt said in video. It all about the minute details to figure out from where the blade comes from.
I may add that the kindjal came into Russia and Ukraine as a trophy weapon due to constant engagements with Georgians, Turkish and Caucassian men all the way through the medieval period and up to the 20th century. This type of weapon is associated with cossacs because they were regularly fighting on the borders of Russia/Ukraine and had been raiding abroad quite frequently. So the kindjal was adopted by cossacs just like many items of clothing and some other weapons (like famous shashka) and stayed in use for quite a while, but it didn't became universal for all russian troops except those who were fighting at the Caucasus at the moment. Cossacs were also using it in the WW1 unlike the other troops (they were always different from regular soliders, which is a part of their nature). Today in Russia it mostly associated with traditional caucasian culture. However, as someone mentionet, basically every type of dagger is called kindjal in Russia.
P.s Most of the bladed weapons that you may associate with Russia (except maybe the bardish) were adopted here due to constant clash of all sorts of cultures, and then used very widely.
A weapon I'd seen before, and heard of, but not known much about - I really like them, although I do wonder how comfortable the handle is with those bolts sticking out..?
Thanks once again for sharing your knowledge and expertise, Matt, always a pleasure!
Take care and stay safe, my friend :-)
I have a bebout-kindjal which also has those bolts. They don't get in the way at all and actually enhance your grip on the dagger quite a bit.
@@JZBai Really? Thanks very much for your reply, I am pretty surprised tbh, thought they wouldn't be comfortable and would get in the way!
Kind of you to reply... :-)
1 out of 8 people liked this video that’s a huge ratio. It’s cause Matt is so awesome. Obscure weapons is my favorite series please do more Matt!
in Serbia they are called Kama
You are 100% correct about the origin of this weapon being Persian. Interestingly you can see this weapon on the stone carvings from the ancient cities of Susa, and Persepolis, (Persia, modern day Iran), in the handes of the Persian soliders from 2500 years ago.
Reminds me of an Arkansas Toothpick 😎
Matt, during the first Gulf War I was stationed in a camp near the Kuwaiti border where we received occasional visits from Bedouins. They never wore their daggers. One of our service members was a first generation Arab American who acted as our interrupter and general "face man" when we dealt with locals. I asked him why they didn't wear their daggers and he shrugged his shoulders and said that maybe they didn't think it would be wise to wear daggers visiting a military camp of strangers. Sounded logical except they did carry rifles I noted, to which he stated that they wore their keffiyehs also. I honestly don't know if the dagger is no longer a part of their dress, or if they were being polite or prudent. I have a reason I believe as to why this design has been around so long, and is seen in so many places, the design is superior, and it works. Good video, thanks.
Good video. I have a nice kindjal from Windlass/Cobra Steel. Simple cheap and very effective. Stainless steel but it appears to be appropriately heat treated and is short enough I don't worry about that.
I have a khindjal it’s the curved single edged knife that’s the one called qama in Georgia I think I got one from there
This is the most popular blade in Iran. For decoration and self defense. There is a one edeged version called qaddare which looks even better.
I heard kindjal was made with 3 finger hadle and 4 fingers handle. Some made for use in Holliday for costumes and other made for fighting. Very light and gorgeous
in middle east was called khanjar (knife) used mostly by Cherkasy tribes but some ones highly ornamented were liked by rich people, most i have seen are with silver handles field with resin most constructed as the shibriyeh and jambiye. have seen some with filer as this and some with a metal spine. it will be nice if u visit any are of middle east as the have mix of different areas in knifes, swords and different ways of combat
I'm an old Italian blades collector and I have talked to many old people who fought in Russia during WWII who met different Russian soldiers who had such type of weapon. They told me that when they fought in the Ukrainian Dnieper area met Cossaks cavalry troops supplied whith dirks they called kindjal with narrow blades, about 3 cm and long about 30 cm while those who fought in south Caucasian area met infantry Russian soldiers with daggers built with broader and longer blades i.e . 7-8 cm and about 50 cm, they called qama. Both blades had the same asymmetrical fullered section but while the kindjals were more an uniform implement the qamas were used skilfully as terrible weapons in frequent hand to hand combats. Many Italian soldiers brought back some specimen of these blade and to confirm the different use the kindjals I examinated were all well adorned objects clearly never used, while the qamas were all very simple weapons clearly used and abused in combat. Therefore I ask: could this the difference between kindjals and qamas? Same blade shape and origin from Persia spread through the Caucasus in all eastern Russia and diversified in slender and adorned kindjals as ornamental implements and qamas as a rather big brutal simple and efficient fighting weapon?
Hi Matt, so happy you call this dagger in Georgian style “khanjali” ხანჯალი, although we actually have two names for this dagger within Georgia 🇬🇪 in west by black sea 🌊 we call it “Qama” ყამა ( spelling from throat, don’t even try Matt, lol) in east Georgia we call it khanjali which is more mainstream. Indeed its part of our cultural identity, of every region of our country. A status symbol being Georgian/knight. there are couple of artisans still doing Georgian khanjali. Btw we also call it SATEVARI( 3rd name)Anyway I am not an expert unfortunately but always enjoy your videos Matt, so interesting. btw its comming home ⚽️ 🏴
😀 სატევარი მესამე კი არა უპირველესი სახელია, ნამდვილ ქართული 😀
Yes, more of these kinds of videos please!
I'm browsing your videos in search for some info about movie-swords, like Conan the Barbarian, but I cannot find any. Would you do a short video about these kinds of fantasy swords that look stunning, but perhaps aren't as practical in reality please?
FWIW, the Windlass Qama is pretty good value at around $50 (and I'm not usually a windlass fan)
I got a Cobra Steel Kindjal and has been looking into the weapon ever since as it feels too long for the typical HEMA dagger techniques yet a bit short for many sword techniques, lol
Feels great in the hand, though.
I had one like this but longer a good 18" of blade, I bought it at Pennsic in the 80s, I gave it to a friend in the 90's.
It should also be mentioned that they were often times short sword length & were used as such too. They range in size from tiny dagger to around cabbage chopper/foot artillery sword length.
Great video, really interesting!
It looks like an acinace(and almost the same size)which was an ancient persian short sword used by Achaemenid Empire.I know acinace spread rapidly in the ancient world; so maybe qama is a copy of acinace? an upgraded version perhaps
Kinda surprised how far down I scrolled without seeing a Dune reference...
He made one in the video.
There's a company from Dagestan that makes pretty high quality kinjal for the international market, named after the town they manufacture in: Kizlyar.
They vary widely in size; I have one as big as a gladius, and several smaller ones. The nicest one had a full scabbard, which the others do not, but was stolen. Someone had used a drill or punch of some sort to punch in the name "Olszewski."
I'm from Georgia, not a historian but from what I've heard it first appeared around the Romano-Persian wars in the Caucasus as a local alternative to Gladius. I always thought of it as a Gladius offshoot. Persian name isn't a surprise because a lot of old Persian and Parthian language made into Georgian back when Eastern Georgia was occupied by them, but ofc it could also have been made in Persia. Khanjali does have cultural significance, there are Ceremonial ones, Utilitarian ones, and even the family heirloom ones that were used as a family "crown" of sorts owned by the head of the extended family and passed down from Generation to Generation. According to oral history, a well-made khanjali was supposed to break a mail shirt.
I'm from Bulgaria. We use both words Qama(Kama) and Kindjal for any type of dagger. They are synonyms and can meen anyting from stiletto to tanto. There is not a particular shape associated with thouse words. Maybe there is slight preference for the curved daggers to be called Kindjal instead of Qama(Kama), but it's not a rule. If you mention the word Qama(Kama) here, the most common image that someone will imagin will be something similar to the naval dirk or parrying dagger.
In Ukraine the word kindjal(кинджал) just means any dagger at all, and I was very surprised to find out why just now xD But in pop culture back here cossacks are assosiated much more with sabers and pistols, than with kindjals
We only have a rebel movement from the XIX century which was associated with knives specifically, but not with daggers
Interesting that these kindjals have had such a cultural importance but now are kinda never brought up as smth special, at least where I leave and in my broader social circles
Yeah... It's kind of sad that swords get all the attention and daggers get ignored generally even though they are arguably the most common weapon a historical person would carry around. I guess people prefer the romanticism surrounding the sword vs. the mundane practicality of the dagger?
The knife is often called ,the poor man's sword'.
@@JZBai very true, swords weren’t even that deadly on the battlefield compared to other weapons
Well in the time of late Cossacks they came back in deadliness as the armour became less common
But still
The fact that it’s more likely that an armoured knight would have been killed by a dagger rather than a sword rattled my brain when I first heard it)
"Mom can we get a gladius?"
"We already have a gladius at home."
can you make a video about daggers in Europe during the dark age? Many people say it was replaced all over Europe by the Seax but that doesn't make sense unless you're from England.
I am german, in the alemanic warrior graves in swabian region of Germany, where i live ,Saxe' (german writing) are common. Not only anglosaxon !
Re: still being produced today -- Windlass Steel has offered and still offers its version of what it calls a "Qama" for over 30 years. About an 18" blade and a buffalo horn grip. I have one and it's a nice weapon.
Matt, as you seem to be familiar with the Dune book series, what is your impression of the close combat fighting style Paul has been taught and that he uses in his Fremen duel? I very much love the idea of adapting to the special implications given by the kinetic energy shields that are common in their time.
What do you think could be futuristic game changers that could a) make sword fighting an important factor again, and b) could strongly influence the styles of swordfighting, so much that they completely change the way sword fighting was done in historical fighting styles?
Have a version from Windlass Steelcrafts. Polished handle of black horn with conical studs. I would like the handle to be a bit longer, but it works well enough to serve watermelon.
I have a reproduction by Atlanta Cutlery/Museum Replicas, and it even has the protrusions on the grip the name they used is Qama. But I trust your knowledge over theirs immensely.
Kindjal is what Paul Atreides trained with before he lived with the Fremen.
Great vid, love your channel. Any chance that you might do a video on the Dutch Goedendag. I keep seeing clips from the History channel about how a Dutch village armed with these things defeated a professional French army. I'm curious about your thoughts on it.
Glad to see this weapon featured. Interestingly, I don't think I heard you mention the Ottoman Empire once during the whole video! But, I know of a Turkish Christian with a stall in the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul where you can purchase one to this day... or at least up to 5 or so years ago.
Great video on a somewhat obscure weapon. (and much thanks for the Dune / Frank Herbert reference!)
That little blade would make me happy. It looks like a small gladius.
This kind of dagger is a national kind of weapon in the Caucasus region, it is called in Georgia as khanjali (ხანჯალი) or Georgian word for it satevari (სატევარი). This weapon is part of the national costume of Caucasus Nations.