A Caucasian qama

A nice example of a qama or kindjal / khanjali dagger from the broader region of what is today southern Russia (including Dagestan and Chechnya), Armenia, Georgia, and northern Iran. Although originating in the Caucasus, the Russian conquest of this region in the 19th century subsequently led to this type of dagger also being adopted by Cossack units within the Russian army. The shape of the hilt and rivets, as well as the use of gold koftgari decoration, leads me to suspect that this particular example might be of Armenian origin, but it's difficult to say for sure.
 
The straight, double-edged blade has a characteristic single, narrow fuller set off the middle of the blade on each side.  The koftgari decoration that used to be present on the front of the blade has been worn off, leaving only the incised pattern in the steel. There are some spots of old, stable corrosion, but otherwise the blade is in good condition.
 
A small piece of one of the horn grip slabs has broken off at the shoulder of the blade, but this should be relatively easy to repair. The grip slabs are otherwise in good condition, and solidly attached. The rivets and exposed sides of the tang are decorated in gold koftgari overlay
 
Blade length: 40 cm
Overall length: 52.5 cm
19th century