71 - Somalia, Billao short sword, carved horn grip, leaf-shaped blade, Dervish period circa 1900

Somalia, Billao short sword, carved horn grip, leaf-shaped blade, Dervish period circa 1900 Iron, forged, horn, carved, Billao short sword, also Billaawe, from Somalia, circa 1900, double-edged, leaf-shaped blade tapering towards the point, horn grip of strictly geometric, abstract design, ending in a fan-shaped pommel, a metal spike protruding from the pommel, centre of the grip with silver-coloured spacer, silver-coloured ferrule at the base of the blade, original condition with strong age patina and forging marks on the blade, L. 61 cm, blade length 40.5 cm. The Billao, in Somali Billaawe, is the traditional edged weapon of the Somali people in the Horn of Africa; depending on the blade length it is regarded as a short sword or a long dagger. The double-edged, asymmetrically leaf-shaped blade is forged from iron or steel, the grip is usually made of buffalo horn; the pommel mostly bears three prongs, on other pieces a single point from which the tang protrudes. The weapon was worn on the belt in a sheepskin scabbard. The Billao is known above all as a close-combat weapon from the period of the Dervish uprising (1899 to 1920) in Somalia; it was also in use at that time in the northern sultanates of the country. Rock art near Bur Eibi in southern Somalia is regarded as an early depiction of the blade and grip of this weapon type.