Grandad's souvenir - a Turkish knife?

[JefR]

I'd forgotten about this almost completely and I don't know what brought it back to mind, but I'd be most grateful if anyone could throw some light on it for me.

I first came across it in my mother's attic fifty years or more ago and I don't know anything about its history, but since I now know that my Grandfather served with the 378th Siege Battery RGA in 1917 & 18 through Palestine (via Beersheba, Tel el Sharia, Jerusalem and Jaffa), I'm assuming that it is a souvenir that he brought back with him.

The blade is 25cm (10in) long, the handle is horn, with what appear to be nickel plated brass fittings, and the stamp marks on the blade look like

"TJI : KR 1909".

Photos are attached - does anyone recognise it?

Any help much appreciated.

Jef

[shippingsteel]

I don't know much about these at all, but I would think it could well be a souvenir from that period brought back from Palestine.

The style does look Middle Eastern but I don't think it is of Turkish origin. The stampings on the ricasso are certainly not Ottoman.

EDIT. I am now wondering if the lettering is a reference to the Tajik district or people, which may indicate possible Persian origin.?

Cheers, S>S

[JefR]

Dear S>S

Many thanks for your response, I take your point that the lettering suggests a non-Turkish origin.

The characters of the inscription are western but done in an eastern style, and the number is most likely the date 1909 in the western calendar (in the Muslim calendar it would be 1959, equivalent to 2529 western, and that doesn't make sense). I suppose it could be a service number but I think that unlikely.

It suggests to me a military source from an eastern country with a strong western influence - Persia maybe, but I was wondering about India, perhaps even Nepal - or, a faint possibility, an African country where it might have been made or marked by Indian craftsmen.

I suppose we'll never know unless someone recognises it, or something like it shows up on a photograph.

Regards

Jef

[centurion]

I've seen knives like this sold in the old Souk in Cairo, - made as souvenirs. I think they are North African in style.

[shippingsteel]

This may also have been a style of knife that was being made especially for the souvenir market of the time in Egypt.

The leather scabbard in particular appears though it may have been improvised from a surplus German scabbard from the period.

These were manufactured from black leather and had 2 parrallel lines scribed down the edges, and usually featured brass mountings.

I have added a pic below to illustrate. (This scabbard is from the Brazilian M1908 bayonet which was manufactured under contract in Germany.)

Cheers, S>S