Kard

File:Kard dagger Ottoman.jpg

Ottoman kard dagger, 18th to 19th century, stone hilt with gold koftgari inscriptions, metal scabbard with carved decorations set with gems.

A kard (Template:Langx) is the equivalent in the Persian language for knife.

In the specialist jargon, Kard is considered a type of knife found in the Persianate societies like Persia, Turkey, Armenia and all the way to India. Mostly used in the 18th century and before, it has a straight single edged blade and is usually no longer than in length. It has no guard, and usually the handle was bone, ivory, or horn. It was mostly a stabbing weapon, and commonly the point would be reinforced to penetrate chain mail. A major characteristic of a kard is that the hilt is only partially covered by the sheath.