A Beautiful 19th Century Ottoman-Indo-Persian Exotic Horn Hilted Jambiya

Very fine carved hilt in exotic horn with double edged blade with central rib. embossed leather covered wooden scabbard. The jambiya were taken by travelers to other cultures including the Ottoman Empire, Persia and India, where they were adopted with slight differences to the blade, hilt and scabbard.A significant part of a jambiya is its hilt (handle). The saifani hilt is made of exotic horn, It is used on the daggers of wealthier men. Different versions of saifani hilts can be distinguished by their colour. Other jambiya hilts are made of different types of horn, wood, metal and ivory. Apart from the material used for the hilt, the design and detail is a measure of its value and the status of its owner. there are 53 different types of Jambiya in the Metropolitan museum Collection, some bear a similarity to this example, many with near identical blades. Overall 9.5 inches long.