Tabar
Tabar
Afridi / Pashtun
Khyber Pakhtunkwa, Pakistan
Mid- 20th century
Steel, copper, iron, wood
Blade Length: 12,1cm
Blade Width: 14cm
Overall Length: 78,4cm
Collection Date: 2020
Collection Number: 135
Deaccessioned: 2025
Ex. American Art Market (2020)
A tabar axe from the Khyber Pass Region between Afghanistan and Pakistan. The head is made from one piece iron, hatchet shaped with a curved edge. On each side of the cheeks are two inlaid copper strips decorated with linear, crescent, and bullseye engravings. The blade is further decorated with eight geometric perforations surrounded by more bullseye motifs. Another two copper strips are present on the poll with three bullseye markings. Iron shoulder that connects to the wooden haft. The handle is engraved in linear and cross-hatched patterns. The iron pommel to the handle unscrews to reveal a spiked blade. Minor rust to the iron.
This type of tabar axe is based on the 19th century battle axe, used in the Khyber Pass by the various Pashtun tribes including the Afridi. Dating to the mid- 20th century, they were no longer used for battle but rather sacred objects of ceremony or symbols of tribal power. The last photograph compares this axe to an almost identical example found in the book, "Edged Weapons of Afghanistan," by Dmitry Miloserdov.
[1] Miloserdov, Dmitry Yurievich. 2019. “Edged Weapons of Afghanistan”. Page 425