Offered in this lot is an Indo-Persian Afghan Khyber Salawar Sword, circa 19th century. Provenance: the Owen D. Mort, Jr. Collection. Owen David Mort was an American engineer who amassed an impressive collection throughout his worldwide travels. His collection has included art, artifacts and other historical items from which he has donated to museums at the University of Utah and the Snite Museum of Art at the University of Notre Dame, including Afghan artifacts. The ‘Khyber’ or ‘Salawar Yataghan’ is usually associated with Afghanistan and the tribes near the Khyber-pass region, but was also found in the region of Lahore. Khyber knife is a colloquial term used to specify these typically large blades knives, which are more of a short sword. The term 'Khyber knife' is actually a bit of British 'Hobson-Jobson' which was the British soldiers' vernacular during the Raj, Crown rule in India. Used by all of the Khyber associated tribes: the Waziris, Afridis, Mahsud, Shinwari and others who dominated the formidable defile in Afghanistan notoriously known as the 'Khyber Pass' in the 19th century into the 20th and during the 2nd and 3rd Afghan Wars 1879-1919. These blades were held sacred by tribesmen, and when many tribesmen became part of tribal levys to police regions for the British Army, they kept their blades which were remounted with sword bayonet style hilts in the regulation fashion. This Khyber Salawar sword has a broad tapering chamfered single-edge T-back steel blade and a beaked bone handle. Decorative motifs observed on the stamped bone handle and bolsters with brass tang covers embellished with the circle patterns favored by the Afghan Khyber tribes. Measures 27"L. The blade itself is 21.5"L, and 2"at widest, weight 1lb 6oz.*

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