This is a military issue dagger in the shape of an old Ottoman Jambiya. In 1908 the “Young Turkish” military movement removed the Sultan Abdul Hamid II from the throne and replaced him with the younger Sultan Muhammad V who was actually a puppet. The “Young Turkish” were in real control on the empire, and made an attempt to modern the Ottoman army. At the beginning of the WWI, standard arms were issued to replace the variety of weapons used so far, and this type of dagger was issued. The dagger is in the shape of an old Ottoman Jambiya dagger from the 16 century. (The original one is in the Topkapi palace museum). It has a standard size and shape. All daggers are numbered on both the blade and the scabbard. The blade is 8 ¼ ” heavy, curved and double edged. It has the ‘Tughra’ (the royal stamp) of Muhammad V, the moon and star symbol of the Turkish army, a date 1334 (1915) and a serial number 260 in Arabic figures. On the other side of the blade is a long quote from the Koran. The hilt and scabbard are brass chased in the style of the original dagger.