Status blade

These prestige blades belonged to soldiers of the 19th-century Sudanese Mahdist army, at a time when Sudan was under Turkish-Egyptian colonial rule. In 1881, Muhammad Ahmad (1844-1885), a Sudanese religious leader, was heralded as Mahdi (lit. “Guided One” in Arabic) or messianic redeemer of the Islamic faith. He and his successor led successful military campaigns against Ottoman Turkish occupying forces. Members of the Mahdi military carried forked and branched blades inspired by the shape of Central African throwing knives. Unlike their Central African counterparts, these blades were not meant as weapons but as emblems of rank.