Pesh-kabz
Encyclopedia
Pesh-kabz, Pesh-quabz, Pesh-kabj, or Pish-ghabz (colloq. Pers.) is the name of an Indo-Persian-Afghan knife
used in Safavid Persia, Mughal India, and some nations of central Asia
. The Pesh-kabz remained popular in Colonial India
and into the modern period, especially by the tribal societies of the Hindu Kush
in Pakistan
and Afghanistan
.
Originally of Persian origin, the Pesh-kabz was designed to penetrate chain mail
and other types of armor.
The knife is typically used as a thrusting weapon. However, the wide hollow-ground blade also possesses considerable slicing performance, and as such may also be used effectively with slashing or cutting strokes. Its ability to be used as either a cutting or thrusting weapon has caused more than one authority to erroneously classify the Pesh-kabz as a fighting dagger
.
Pesh-kabz knives are typically around 40–46 cm (16-18 inches) in overall length, with blades of approximately 28–33 cm (11-13 inches). When compared to other similar knives with T-section blades and reinforced tips, the Pesh-kabz virtually indistinguishable, save for its length of blade. The otherwise identical Karud or Bahbudi (antiq.) has a longer blade (though still shorter than a Afghan sword such as the Salwar yataghan) and is considered a separate design, while the Chura, used by the Mahsud
clan of the Pashtun Khyber tribe
, is a slightly shorter version of the Pesh-kabz.
The Pesh-kabz has a full tang and is traditionally fitted with shirmani (دندان ماهی
sir mahi, or walrus) ivory
scale
s or handles
), but other examples have been found using ivory from the tusks of the rhinoceros
, or elephant
. Still other knives may be found with scales of wood, agate
, jasper
, rock crystal
, horn, serpentine (false jade
), or metal. The sheaths are typically constructed of metal or leather over wood, and may be inset with silver or precious stones.
(Farsi), and is believed to have been created sometime in the 17th century. Developed specifically to overcome the mail armor worn by mounted and foot soldiers of the day, the knife was widely distributed in central Asia and what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India.
After armor ceased to be worn by modern armies, the Pesh-kabz retained its utility as a close combat knife, and many Pashtun tribesmen, particularly the Mahsud, Afridi
, and Shinwari
clans, continued to use the design, along with the Chura and Karud. During their period of colonial rule in India, the British frequently referred to all Afghan knives and swords of this pattern collectively as Afghan knives or Khyber knives, after the Khyber Pass
that marked the transition from British India to the nation of Afghanistan. In India, manufacture of the Pesh-kabz was centered in the northern city of Bhera
, now part of Pakistan
.
During the First
and Second
Anglo-Afghan wars, the Pesh-kabz along with the Afghan knife was frequently the weapon of choice for finishing off wounded British and colonial troops, as the Afghan tribesmen did not take prisoners except for use as hostages.
The Pesh-kabz is still used today as a personal weapon as well as a ceremonial badge of adulthood for Pashtun and other Afghan hill tribes. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, this knife was again the weapon most often used to execute captured or wounded prisoners, this time Soviet and Afghan army soldiers, pilots, and tank crewmen.
Knife
A knife is a cutting tool with an exposed cutting edge or blade, hand-held or otherwise, with or without a handle. Knives were used at least two-and-a-half million years ago, as evidenced by the Oldowan tools...
used in Safavid Persia, Mughal India, and some nations of central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
. The Pesh-kabz remained popular in Colonial India
Colonial India
Colonial India refers to areas of the Indian Subcontinent under the control of European colonial powers, through trade and conquest. The first European power to arrive in India was the army of Alexander the Great in 327–326 BC. The satraps he established in the north west of the subcontinent...
and into the modern period, especially by the tribal societies of the Hindu Kush
Hindu Kush
The Hindu Kush is an mountain range that stretches between central Afghanistan and northern Pakistan. The highest point in the Hindu Kush is Tirich Mir in the Chitral region of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.It is the westernmost extension of the Pamir Mountains, the Karakoram Range, and is a...
in Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
and Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
.
Originally of Persian origin, the Pesh-kabz was designed to penetrate chain mail
Chain Mail
"Chain Mail" is a single by Mancunian band James, released in March 1986 by Sire Records, the first after the band defected from Factory Records. The record was released in two different versions, as 7" single and 12" EP, with different artworks by John Carroll and, confusingly, under different...
and other types of armor.
Design
All Pesh-kabz knives use a hollow-ground, tempered steel single-edged full-tang blade with a thick spine bearing a ”T” cross-section for strength and rigidity. In most examples, a pair of handle scales are fixed to the full-tang grip, which features a hooked butt. The earliest forms of this knife featured a recurved blade, suggestive of its Persian origins, but later examples may be found with both recurved or straight blades. In all variants the blade is invariably broad at the hilt, but tapers progressively and radically to a needle-like, triangular tip. Upon striking a coat of mail, this reinforced tip spreads the chain link apart, enabling the rest of the blade to penetrate the armor. One knife authority concluded that the Pesh-kabz "as a piece of engineering design could hardly be improved upon for the purpose".The knife is typically used as a thrusting weapon. However, the wide hollow-ground blade also possesses considerable slicing performance, and as such may also be used effectively with slashing or cutting strokes. Its ability to be used as either a cutting or thrusting weapon has caused more than one authority to erroneously classify the Pesh-kabz as a fighting dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
.
Pesh-kabz knives are typically around 40–46 cm (16-18 inches) in overall length, with blades of approximately 28–33 cm (11-13 inches). When compared to other similar knives with T-section blades and reinforced tips, the Pesh-kabz virtually indistinguishable, save for its length of blade. The otherwise identical Karud or Bahbudi (antiq.) has a longer blade (though still shorter than a Afghan sword such as the Salwar yataghan) and is considered a separate design, while the Chura, used by the Mahsud
Mahsud
Mahsud is a Pashtun tribe in South Waziristan, a tribal region in Pakistan. Mahsud are considered to be one of the bravest and toughest Pashtun Tribes. The Mahsud tribe lives in the centre of South Waziristan valley, surrounded on three sides by the Darwesh Waziris, and being shut off by the...
clan of the Pashtun Khyber tribe
Pashtun people
Pashtuns or Pathans , also known as ethnic Afghans , are an Eastern Iranic ethnic group with populations primarily between the Hindu Kush mountains in Afghanistan and the Indus River in Pakistan...
, is a slightly shorter version of the Pesh-kabz.
The Pesh-kabz has a full tang and is traditionally fitted with shirmani (دندان ماهی
sir mahi, or walrus) ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
scale
Scale
-Length:* Architect's scale, a ruler-like device which facilitates the production of technical drawings* Engineer's scale, a ruler-like device similar to the Architect's scale, they are helpful when drawing rooms...
s or handles
Handle (grip)
A handle is a part of, or attachment to, an object that can be moved or used by hand. The design of each type of handle involves substantial ergonomic issues, even where these are dealt with intuitively or by following tradition...
), but other examples have been found using ivory from the tusks of the rhinoceros
Rhinoceros
Rhinoceros , also known as rhino, is a group of five extant species of odd-toed ungulates in the family Rhinocerotidae. Two of these species are native to Africa and three to southern Asia....
, or elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
. Still other knives may be found with scales of wood, agate
Agate
Agate is a microcrystalline variety of silica, chiefly chalcedony, characterised by its fineness of grain and brightness of color. Although agates may be found in various kinds of rock, they are classically associated with volcanic rocks and can be common in certain metamorphic rocks.-Etymology...
, jasper
Jasper
Jasper, a form of chalcedony, is an opaque, impure variety of silica, usually red, yellow, brown or green in color; and rarely blue. This mineral breaks with a smooth surface, and is used for ornamentation or as a gemstone. It can be highly polished and is used for vases, seals, and at one time for...
, rock crystal
Quartz
Quartz is the second-most-abundant mineral in the Earth's continental crust, after feldspar. It is made up of a continuous framework of SiO4 silicon–oxygen tetrahedra, with each oxygen being shared between two tetrahedra, giving an overall formula SiO2. There are many different varieties of quartz,...
, horn, serpentine (false jade
Serpentinite
Serpentinite is a rock composed of one or more serpentine group minerals. Minerals in this group are formed by serpentinization, a hydration and metamorphic transformation of ultramafic rock from the Earth's mantle...
), or metal. The sheaths are typically constructed of metal or leather over wood, and may be inset with silver or precious stones.
History
The Pesh-kabz is of Persian and Central Asian origin and was introduced into India by the Mughals (reigned 1526-1858). The name means 'fore-grip' in PersianPersian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
(Farsi), and is believed to have been created sometime in the 17th century. Developed specifically to overcome the mail armor worn by mounted and foot soldiers of the day, the knife was widely distributed in central Asia and what is now Afghanistan, Pakistan, and northern India.
After armor ceased to be worn by modern armies, the Pesh-kabz retained its utility as a close combat knife, and many Pashtun tribesmen, particularly the Mahsud, Afridi
Afridi
Afridi of rough hilly area in the eastern Safed Koh range, west of the Peshawar Valley and east of Torkham, and Maidan in Tirah, which can be accessed by the Kajurhi plains and the valleys of Bara and Churah in Pakistan...
, and Shinwari
Shinwari
The Shinwari are an ethnic Pashtun tribe of western Pakistan and eastern Afghanistan.In Pakistan, this tribe is active in trade, commerce, poetry, administrators and politicians within the Pakistani government; the majority are based in the Landi Kotal region of the Federally Administered Tribal...
clans, continued to use the design, along with the Chura and Karud. During their period of colonial rule in India, the British frequently referred to all Afghan knives and swords of this pattern collectively as Afghan knives or Khyber knives, after the Khyber Pass
Khyber Pass
The Khyber Pass, is a mountain pass linking Pakistan and Afghanistan.The Pass was an integral part of the ancient Silk Road. It is mentioned in the Bible as the "Pesh Habor," and it is one of the oldest known passes in the world....
that marked the transition from British India to the nation of Afghanistan. In India, manufacture of the Pesh-kabz was centered in the northern city of Bhera
Bhera
Bhera is a city on the Jhelum river in Sargodha District, Punjab province of Pakistan. It lies at latitude 32.48 N, longitude 72.92.-Location:...
, now part of Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
.
During the First
First Anglo-Afghan War
The First Anglo-Afghan War was fought between British India and Afghanistan from 1839 to 1842. It was one of the first major conflicts during the Great Game, the 19th century competition for power and influence in Central Asia between the United Kingdom and Russia, and also marked one of the worst...
and Second
Second Anglo-Afghan War
The Second Anglo-Afghan War was fought between the United Kingdom and Afghanistan from 1878 to 1880, when the nation was ruled by Sher Ali Khan of the Barakzai dynasty, the son of former Emir Dost Mohammad Khan. This was the second time British India invaded Afghanistan. The war ended in a manner...
Anglo-Afghan wars, the Pesh-kabz along with the Afghan knife was frequently the weapon of choice for finishing off wounded British and colonial troops, as the Afghan tribesmen did not take prisoners except for use as hostages.
The Pesh-kabz is still used today as a personal weapon as well as a ceremonial badge of adulthood for Pashtun and other Afghan hill tribes. During the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan, this knife was again the weapon most often used to execute captured or wounded prisoners, this time Soviet and Afghan army soldiers, pilots, and tank crewmen.
External links
- Pesh-Kabz Oriental Arms Pesh-Kabz
- http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/egallery/object.asp?category=286&object=11289&row=27Pesh-Kabz in the Royal CollectionRoyal CollectionThe Royal Collection is the art collection of the British Royal Family. It is property of the monarch as sovereign, but is held in trust for her successors and the nation. It contains over 7,000 paintings, 40,000 watercolours and drawings, and about 150,000 old master prints, as well as historical...
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