Obscure Weapons: Qama/Kindjal/Khanjali
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- Опубликовано: 17 июн 2021
- Not such an obscure weapon, but also not as widely known or understood as it should be! The Persian, Caucasian, Georgian variations of qama, kindjal and khanjali.
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I was born in Kazakhstan and I had a Chechen friend, she told me how in their culture the Kindjal had a super great significance of being the symbol of tradition, manliness, honor and stuff like that when it was passed from fathers (or other elder relatives) to sons. And although the Chechens are famous for being super martial and also very famous for fathers imposing quite martial macho standards on boys at quite a young age, she was very clear that this Kindjal inheritance culture however was actually explicitly not about real violence, but much more about tradition, values and so on.
Fun fact: the word "kindjal" in Russian language is used to discribe any kind of dagger. The word "dagger" also exists in Russian language, but is only used to describe parrying dagger.
Or you've heard of the khindjal because you're a fan of Dune.
I'm Georgian myself and I've been gifted Khanjals on several occasions. You'll often see embellishments like grapes, Borjgali and other Georgian ornaments on the scabbard.
as russian it's so weird to hear the word "Kindjal" (кинжал) used to describe a specific dagger and not just all daggers
Hi, I am from Georgia and personally I do not use this names for this type of dagger. For me it is "Sat'evari" (word from verb "sheteva"- To strike) ( I can not speak for all Georgians) (Sorry for my broken English)
As for Sakartvelo (historical name of Georgia), they have historical stereotype of a brave individual they call "Jigit" (or "Dzhigit"). And mandatory attribute of any Jigit is kinjal.
The word 'kindjal" seems to be traceable back to Parthian, meaning that it would be of Indo-European origin. It's existence in Parthian destroys the competing theory that it could be of Turkic origin, as the Parthians predate the presence of Turkic speaking peoples in the region. Since the actual object seems to exist along the entire route the Indo-Europeans (Aryan branch; yep, that's right; the Indians are the true Aryans) took to India, including their region of origin (south of the Urals), it's conceivable that even the object has its origin in the Early Bronze Age -- obviously since modified by the use of steel (full length tang). Certainly, the word is very likely to have its origins in the EBA, or even the Late Neolithic. If we assume that it spread
In the Bulgarian language (which is closely related to Russian and at the same time has thousands of Turkish words in it), the words kama, kindjal and khandjar all mean a dagger(although khandjar could just mean a big knife and is not commonly used). Aside from its historical martial applications, in modern times this design of knives is often associated with the Gerogian/Caucass folklore dress and their folklore dances. Specifically their famous knife dances.
The original Georgian name for that type of dagger is Satevari, in Chechnya/Ingushetiya Shalta and Adighean Se, Khanjali is later influenced by Persian culture. In Georgian language there are many original words that have been substituted by persian or arabic words. As an archaeologist I can assure you that this type of dagger is used in caucasus from the early bronze age until today, continuously. If you're interested I can provide more details.
Qama, Qama, Qama, Qama, Qama chameleon...
Just sharing what I know about these. In circassian traditional culture the Kindjal is a weapon every man has to carry all the time once he reaches the age and is as much a tool for everyday use as a fearsome weapon. You never know what lemons life gives you. The design behing it is quick draw - quick thrust and all about it is made so you don't have to do it twice. It's a very close combat weapon so no fancy fencing here, they had other weapons for that. Those "protruding rivets" are a very important and interesting part of the design and are actually thumb holders. The front knob is for the specific Kindjal grip - you rest your thumb on it like you're pushing on it and hold the blade horizontally so it can easily slide between ribs and assure a swift kill. The back knob is also a thumb rest but this time for the reversed grip. This way, your grip is much stronger and your hand wouldn't slide downwards on the blade if you happen to deliver a powerful blow. Obviously you still can slash/cut pretty effectively and hold it like a normal short sword but it would be uncomfortable, especially for people with bigger hands. Also, I've seen circassian djigits use it surprisingly effectively as a throwing dagger but once again, just look at this point, the design behind it is pretty clear. Very popular among cossacks, the Russian Imperial Army also used a curved version of these called "beboot" among soldiers who could not carry a full sized weapon like a shashka.
That's clearly a baby gladius. Feed it breast milk or an adequate replacement and it'll surely cry out for the blood of Rome's enemies.
As a Circassian, I am really excited that it's now being covered!
"I hope thats been interesting"
If you want an even more obscure weapon, what should be mentioned is that the qama/kindjal/khanjali has a single-edged curved cousin, the qaddara/quadara, which is sometimes also called a qama/kindjal/khanjali on occasion too:
Excellent against Holtzmann shields.
holds up short gladius
I first learned about the kindjal from lermontovs "a hero of our time".
The world "kindjal" in the version - "kindżał" (kindjau) is used in Polish Language, and means "a dagger with eastern roots".