BLADED WEAPONS OF CENTRAL ASIA IN THE XVIIIth– XXth CENTURIES AS A REFLECTION OF THE REGION’S CULTURAL AND TECHNOLOGICAL TRADITIONS

Abstract

The article analyzes the features of the manufacture and decoration of bladed weapons in the khanates of Central Asia from the eighteenth to the twentieth centuries as a significant element of the region’s material and spiritual culture. Bladed weapons are examined not only as means of armament but also as objects of social status and artistic expression. Drawing on written, archaeological, and historiographical sources, the study explores the main blade-production technologies, including forging, quenching, and the use of wootz (bulat) steel. Particular attention is paid to the origin and spread of wootz steel, the interaction of local traditions with Indian, Persian, and Ottoman metallurgical schools, as well as the role of trade networks along the Great Silk Road. The article also discusses Central Asian weapons-manufacturing centers and the problem of conflating the terms “wootz steel” and “Damascus steel.” It concludes that traditional bulat technologies declined by the nineteenth century and emphasizes the importance of bladed weapons as a historical source.