- Model: KHOPESH SWORD
- Product Code: EKS20
- Location: Kathmandu,Nepal
A Hand-Forged Egyptian Khopesh Sword, Built the Way You Want It
Choose the blade finish, the handle, the fittings and the scabbard colour, then add your engraving — and we forge that exact sword. Every selection updates the preview on screen. There are 960 possible builds before personalisation, and each one is forged to order in Kathmandu.
Underneath every combination is the same sword: a 20-inch forward-curving khopesh blade, hand-forged from 5160 spring steel on a single-billet full tang, with an eight-inch grip and a hand-stitched leather scabbard over a shaped wooden core. At 28 inches overall and around 925 grams it is the full-size end of our khopesh range — the pharaonic sidearm scale, sharpened and ready to use rather than blunted for a wall.
Your Choices
Blade length and construction are fixed on this pattern. For another size or a design of your own, use our custom forge service.
The Khopesh: Where It Came From
The khopesh is the sickle-sword of ancient Egypt, and it did not start there. Sickle-swords appear first in Mesopotamia and the Levant in the third millennium BC, and the form reached Egypt around 1800 BC. From the New Kingdom onward, roughly 1550 to 1070 BC, it became the sidearm of Egyptian soldiers and the weapon pharaohs are shown holding on temple walls — handed to the king by the gods in relief after relief, a symbol of authority as much as a weapon.
The name comes from the Egyptian word for the foreleg of an ox, which is what the shape was thought to resemble. Two khopesh swords were among the goods recovered from Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, one larger and one smaller, and they sit in Cairo today. Ramesses II is depicted holding one in the Kadesh reliefs.
The curve is not decoration. The sharpened edge runs along the outside of the curve, so the blade lands on a downward hooking stroke with the force concentrated through the belly, and the hook itself could catch a shield rim or a weapon arm and drag it out of line. The point is not the business end: on surviving examples it is usually blunt or rounded. This is a chopping and hooking weapon, not a thrusting one.
Bronze Then, Spring Steel Now
The honest part, which most khopesh listings skip. Real khopesh swords were cast in bronze. That is why the type looks as it does, and why it faded from military use once iron arrived in Egypt, surviving mainly as a ceremonial and royal emblem. Surviving examples also tend to run shorter than people expect, often around 50 to 60 centimetres overall.
Ours is hammer-forged from 5160 high-carbon spring steel on a single billet, and at 71 centimetres overall it is longer than most finds. So it is a modern interpretation at full display scale rather than a measured reproduction: tougher than any bronze original could be, able to take and hold a working edge, and able to chop without deforming. If you want strict Bronze Age accuracy, you want a cast bronze replica from a specialist. If you want the shape in a blade you can actually use, this is it.
Which Blade Finish Suits a Khopesh?
Handle, Fittings and Scabbard
Eight grips are fitted to the same full tang. Rosewood is our standard: dense, dark and the most durable in the hand. Whitewood is the pale timber and gives the brightest, plainest build. Buffalo horn is glossy black and takes a deep polish, and bone is close to ivory — both are materials Bronze Age craftsmen genuinely used on hilts, so they suit the piece. The four two-material grips — rosewood + whitewood, rosewood + horn, rosewood + bone and whitewood + horn — band contrasting sections along an eight-inch grip, which is long enough for the banding to read clearly.
The fittings set the metal on the hilt: silver-tone, a bright white metal that stays bright longest; brass, warm gold and the closest to the look of ancient bronze fittings; copper, warmer still and quickest to darken, which ages a build fast; or black, the quietest and the natural partner to a black coated blade. The scabbard is hand-stitched leather over a shaped wooden core, in six colours, and a blackwood or rosewood display stand can be added for a sword this size.
Engraving
The personalisation field takes a name, initials, a date, a dedication or a short line, engraved before the sword ships, and you can upload a crest, a unit badge, a sigil, a hieroglyph-style motif, a logo or a photograph for us to reproduce. A 20-inch blade gives one of the largest engraving surfaces we offer, which is why this build is ordered so often for retirements, milestone birthdays and presentations.
Want a Khopesh We Do Not List Here?
A different blade length, a leather-wrapped hilt, a deeper recurve, scabbard tooling, a matched pair with the compact khopesh or a design from your own sketch — anything outside this option list goes through our custom forge service, where we quote your build individually.
Request a Custom Forge →Why This Khopesh Works
Standard Build Specification
Blade, handle and overall length are fixed in this configurator and do not change with your selections. Because every piece is hand-forged, small variation in weight, dimensions, grain and finish is normal.
An Honest Note on This Khopesh
An honest note. Three things worth saying plainly. First, this is a steel interpretation of a bronze weapon, built at full display scale: the shape is faithful, the material is better than the original, and the sword is longer than most surviving finds. Anyone who tells you their steel khopesh is an exact reproduction is selling you a story. Second, it is a chopping and hooking blade — the force lands at the belly of the curve and the point is not the business end, so do not buy it as a thrusting sword. Third, 5160 is not stainless. It will rust if left wet or stored damp in its scabbard; wipe it dry, keep a light film of oil on it, and it will outlast you.
This Khopesh Suits
- Collectors of ancient and non-European weapons who want full display scale
- Buyers who want a forged, sharpened sword rather than a blunt wall-hanger
- Engraved gifts and presentations, with the largest blade panel we offer
- Egyptian-themed costume builds where a real steel blade beats a moulded prop
Look Elsewhere If
- You want strict Bronze Age accuracy — that means cast bronze, not forged steel
- You want something compact to handle or display — see our Little Khopesh builder
- You want a thrusting sword
- You want a stainless blade that tolerates neglect
How Your Order Is Made
Caring for Your Khopesh
Wipe the blade dry after handling — skin acid marks carbon steel within days — and keep a light film of oil on it; mineral or camellia oil both work. The inside of the curve is the part people miss, so work the cloth into it rather than running it straight along the flat, and pay attention to the line where the blade meets the fittings. Do not store the sword in its scabbard for long periods, because the leather and wooden core hold moisture against steel; a stand or wall mount is the better home. Brass and copper fittings patina with handling and polish back with any metal polish. Give a timber grip a little oil once or twice a year, and keep horn and bone away from radiators and direct sun.
Shipping, Returns and Warranty
Every piece is prepared at the forge in seven to ten days, and shipping adds a further seven to ten days. Orders to the USA and Canada travel with FedEx; everywhere else ships on a DDP service, which means duties and taxes are settled before the parcel moves so there is nothing to pay on delivery. Every piece carries the Everest Forge manufacturer warranty against defects in forging and heat treatment. Because a configured and engraved sword is made to your specification, it falls outside our standard returns window except where the blade is faulty — full terms are on our shipping and returns page. Owning, carrying and importing a sword are three separate legal questions; check all three for your own address before ordering.
Explore More Everest Forge Blades
Questions About the Egyptian Khopesh
Which edge is sharpened?
The outside of the curve. That is what makes a khopesh a khopesh: the force lands on a downward hooking stroke, concentrated through the belly of the curve, and the hook can catch a shield rim or an arm and pull it aside. The point is not the business end, and on surviving originals it is usually blunt or rounded.
How old is the khopesh, and is it really Egyptian?
It is Egyptian by adoption. Sickle-swords appear first in Mesopotamia and the Levant in the third millennium BC, and the form reached Egypt around 1800 BC. From about 1550 BC it became the standard Egyptian sidearm and the weapon pharaohs are shown holding on temple walls, which is why the world now thinks of it as Egyptian.
Were real khopesh swords made of steel?
No, they were cast in bronze. The type faded from military use once iron reached Egypt and survived mainly as a ceremonial and royal emblem. Ours is hand-forged from 5160 spring steel, so it is a modern interpretation rather than a reproduction — tougher than any original, and able to hold a real working edge.
Is 20 inches the historical size?
It is at the large end. Surviving khopesh swords often run around 50 to 60 centimetres overall; ours is 71 centimetres, which makes it a full display-scale piece rather than a measured copy of a find. We build it this way because it carries a wall and handles well, and we would rather tell you than let you compare it against a museum catalogue afterwards.
Was it really used by Tutankhamun and Ramesses II?
Two khopesh swords were recovered from Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922, one larger and one smaller, and both are in Cairo. Ramesses II is depicted holding a khopesh in the Kadesh reliefs. The type was a royal and military emblem across the New Kingdom, which is why it appears so often in temple art.
Is the khopesh the same as the Greek kopis?
No. The khopesh is Egyptian, Bronze Age, and hooks forward from a straight base. The kopis is Greek, roughly a thousand years later, and has a forward-curving recurve blade with the edge on the inside of the curve. They look related and are not the same weapon.
Which handle should I choose?
Rosewood is our standard and the most durable. Whitewood is the palest and plainest. Horn and bone are the most striking, and both are materials Bronze Age craftsmen used on hilts. The two-material grips band contrasting sections along the eight-inch grip, which is long enough for the banding to show properly. All eight sit on the same full tang.
Which fittings look most ancient?
Brass. Its warm gold tone is the closest of the four to the look of ancient bronze fittings, and it pairs naturally with rosewood or horn. Silver-tone reads cleaner and more modern, copper ages the fastest into a deep brown, and black is the quietest and the natural partner to a black coated blade.
What can I have engraved?
A name, initials, a date, a dedication or a short line, typed into the personalisation field, or a crest, unit badge, sigil, hieroglyph-style motif, logo or photograph uploaded as a file. The 20-inch blade gives one of the largest engraving panels we offer, which is why this build is ordered so often as a presentation gift.
Is it suitable for costume and convention builds?
It is a real forged steel sword rather than a prop, which makes it the serious end of a costume build, and the finish and leather choices let you tune the look. It is not a licensed or screen-accurate replica of any character's weapon — it is the historical Egyptian form those designs drew on. Check your event's weapon policy before you travel, and if you need it blunt, add "Stage combat build — rebated edge, rounded tip." in the order note; our stage combat standard explains what changes.
Does it come sharpened?
Yes, hand-sharpened at the forge before it ships, with no sharpening surcharge and no blunt-by-default version. Handle it with care on unboxing. If you would rather it arrived blunt, ask for a stage-combat build in the order note.
Can I order a different blade length?
Not through this configurator, which keeps the blade at 20 inches. Our khopesh range covers sizes from a 12-inch companion blade upward, and anything outside those can be quoted through our custom forge service.
