Antique Islamic Dagger animal tusk handle

This was my dad's dagger, he has had it for I think about 15 years or so,can't be 100% sure though. We would like to know who when where made it, see the handle looks like some type of bone, tusk or animal hoof.
Anybody know anything about this dagger ?

Thank You

Billy D.

 

Could we see the entire dagger?
By Islamic do you mean it is from the Middle East, North Africa, somewhere else?

 

Looks like a cows horn.

 

ya, it's someones horn....and by the look of the pommel it's meant for show only...as you'd cut up your hand trying to use it in any fashion...
the pommel has a european cutlery look......but without seeing the blade or the guard face on......i'll reserve my opinion as to where it was made.

 

here's the whole thing

 

Looks like horn to me also, and possibly from whatever animal passes as a cow in the area it comes from - that isn't always what people in the US or UK would call a cow. There appears to be some damage from insects, and there are bugs that are fond of chewing on horn.
The shape of the handle is similar to table cutlery made in Lebanon, and I'd be comfortable guessing it was made somewhere in the Middle East.
The shape is not that of any traditional Middle Eastern knives that I am familiar with, so very possibly just for souvenir/tourist sale, or possibly for table use as a carving knife, if sharp enough.

 

My wife and I went to get the pooch some food at a pet store last weekend and in the bins were actual pieces of cow horns and hooves for the dogs to chew on, we ended up buying dried pig ears I cut into strips and the pooch loves them. I had a big dog many moons ago that got off-leash and took off. Thinking I'd never see her again I was surprised to see her the next morning at the door and had a set of deer antlers. I'm thinking somebodey was drying them out for mounting and "Mandie" stole them and brought them home - I still have the antlers in memory of her.

 

the blade looks well formed enough to be a hunting knife...but that clip point doesn't speak to me of a carving knife....

Tourist seems most likely...

 

Yeah, I used to go to pet stores too when I had my Rottweiler/German Sheppard. Though cow horns I have seen items from Mexico, not saying your wrong, you could be right. God bless Mandie....

 

Tourist really, from where etc.

 

Yes, tourist, most likely from India.
So it could have been made by a Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Jew, etc. Just not by a Jain.

 

okay Thanks, who's jain ?

 

A Jain is a follower of Jainism or Jain Dharma, an absolutely non-violent Indian (India) religion. Strict Jains even carry soft brushes to brush away insects so they don't tread on them.

 

Hi,
Amen to that! When I lived in Manhattan I had a fellow and his wife living above me in hospital housing. Every week I had to clean out all my kitchen cabinets to get rid of dead and dying roaches, the building had an exterminator come every week. When the couple moved, the super had to remove FIVE black 30 gallon trash bags of roaches!!!! The couple were Jains. There were even roaches in the light fixture globes. They were piled up in the corners 12" deep. It was like a nightmare film. The couple were very clean and polite BUT!!!!!!!!!
greg

 

oh dang, that messed my brain up..

 

Crazy - I rescue all insects from my house as my wife wan'ts to smash and kill everything - I think God may give me some points when I will eventually face him and then tell him my wife really didn't want to kill his creations, she was just getting me to get rid of them so she didn't have to get off the couch and stop knitting!!

 

Agree on tourist item. It was handmade by a very small shop using basic tools, in the Philippines or some other 3rd world country where water buffalo or similar horn is readily available.

 

Okay, Thanks