This is a military issue dagger in the shape of an old Ottoman Jambiya dagger from the 16 century. (The original one is in the Topkapi palace museum). These daggers were issued at the beginning of the WWI in an attempt to modern the Ottoman army and to replace the variety of daggers used so far. The blade is 8 inches long, heavy, slightly 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 4459. 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 with the same serial number stamped on the belt loop. Very good condition. The engraved inscriptions are very slightly worn and part of the soldering seam is lightly open. Certainly an unusual addition to a collection of edged weapons, be it a collection of Turkish / Islamic blades or of military blades.