Rare "kindjal" dagger - Lot 101

Rare "kindjal" dagger Caucasus, Georgia, dated 1907 Wooden frame with two plates and two bosses, double-edged steel blade with central gutter, chased with long floral stems. On one side, three gunsmith's hallmarks "كار لزكِِيي" [Kar lezki] (made by a Lezgui), owner's mark in Armenian Րաթօ [Rato] (written backwards, and meaning օթար [Otar]) and date 1325 H./1907 engraved on the blade. Leather-covered scabbard with silver-plated metal plates decorated with stylized foliage. Length: 44 cm This dagger is a rare example of three different ethnic groups living in the Caucasus. It bears witness to the peaceful coexistence in Tbilisi of Georgians, Armenians and Dagestani, including Lezguis. Indeed, as the hallmark indicates, this dagger was made by a Lezgui of Arab culture (Dagestan-Northeast Caucasus); the owner's name is Armenian, and the date follows the Hegira calendar. The Armenian name was written in the direction of the Arabic script by the Sunni Lezgui. The inscription "Րաթօ" [Rato] should therefore be read "օթար" [Otar], a very fashionable first name in Tbilisi at the beginning of the 20th century. This Caucasian dagger was therefore commissioned by an Armenian Christian in Georgia, and its manufacture entrusted to a Muslim.