Uzbekistani pichok
length: 11 1/2"
I first thought this was a reproduction of an older style of knife, but then a nice young lady mailed me the following information:
Recently, my colletor friend Sa'ar Nudel wrote from Israel to let me know
that
blade: 7"
blade width: 1 7/16" base
grip: 4 1/2"
"Just FYI: the proper name for this knife is Pichok. It sounds
suspiciously similar to the Turkish Bichaq or to the South-Indian
Pichangatti. Since Uzbekistan was a close neighbor of Turkish-Afghani
Moghuls, the Indian connection may not be totally unexpected. Another
similarity between the three is their scabbard: deep to the point that
only the very top ob the handle is sticking out.
In the not so distant past, every adult Uzbeki man had a Pichok hanging
from his belt; without it he would feel naked. This knife plays a myriad
of functions: from slitting a throat (sheep, human, Russian) to cutting a
piece of bread or slicing a watermelon."
"The Pichok is by no means a repro, but a using piece done to these very days.
The materials show the change of time, when plastic is more availale for handle
rather bone, horn or ivory.
In the recent movie "Luna Papa" (German/Tajiki cooperation) filmed on
loction in Tajikistan with local tribesmen, several can be seen with pichoks
hanging from the belts."