Ottoman dagger of Balkan influence. Iran/Sublime Gate area, 18th-19th century.

Ottoman dagger of Balkan influence. Iran / Sublime Gate area, XVIII-XIX centuries.
Steel blade with gold inlay (koftgari technique).
Steel hilt with gold damascened decoration.
Metal scabbard (probably silver) with embossed decoration.
In good condition. It presents patina according to its age and light superficial marks.
Measurements: 55 cm (with sheath); 54 cm (dagger); 37 cm (blade); 17 cm (hilt).

Important Ottoman dagger linked to the Balkan regions under the orbit of the Sublime Porte, where Persian, Turkish and Central European influences converge in a formal language of great richness.

The leaf, with a curved profile and a four-sided section with a central edge, is carefully decorated with gold thread inlays made according to the traditional koftgari technique. On it there are cartouches with inscriptions in Arabic of a Koranic and devotional nature, among which the initial verse of the sura Al-Fath ("Truly we have granted you a manifest victory") is identified, together with other formulas alluding to the divine triumph and the reward of the believers. This type of epigraphy not only embellished the weapon, but also endowed it with a strong symbolic and protective content.

The hilt, symmetrical and with a characteristic morphology, is also enriched with fine gold inlays, showing a high quality workmanship. The scabbard, made of sheet metal -probably silver- with embossed decoration, completes the whole, giving it a markedly sumptuous character.

This type of weapon transcended its practical function to become true emblems of prestige and power, associated with military and courtly contexts. The quality of the metalwork, together with the presence of Koranic inscriptions, place this piece within a refined production destined for a high-ranking client.