Mughal Daggers: Art in Weaponry

From the 16th to the 19th century, Mughal nobility wore gem-set jade-hilted khanjars as symbols of prestige. These daggers fused Central Asian, Persian, and Indian styles, evolving from Babur's heritage to incorporate intricate filigree and gemstone embellishments. Blades were forged in the Persian tradition, hammering different steels to create a marbled pattern that yielded both suppleness and strength. Hilts featured floral patterns, animal heads (camels, ibexes, gazelles, lions), and horse-head designs popular in the 17th century. Inscriptions were often carved into the khanjars. Mughal miniatures, such as Manohar's Portrait of Prince Danyal (ca. 16th century, Metropolitan Museum of Art) and Chitarman's Portrait of Dara Shikuh (ca. 1640–1641, Victoria & Albert Museum), depict royalty with swords and daggers tucked in cummerbunds. After Nadir Shah's sack of Delhi, Mughal daggers spread to Persia and the Ottoman Empire, where Ottomans procured the hilts and added their own blades. Today, these artifacts are held in museums globally, including Christie's (New York), the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria & Albert Museum, and the Museum of Islamic Arts in Doha.