Handmade Kurdish knives cut close to home

Zahed "The Knifemaker," or Chaqo Saz has been making Kurdish knives for more than two decades, learning from his grandfather and uncles. The blades, legendary for their toughness, are forged from unlikely items. Some are made from car springs, some animal horns and the best are made from rasps. 

"Only about five or six men are now making knives in the Iranian Kurdistan city of Sine. They have to learn for 15 years just as I did," said Zahed. 

The practice of making the makeshift knives goes back 80 to 90 years in Sine, and Zahed believes the trade might die out.

"We are not traditionalist, to say we should only use our traditional products, but we should not forget them," he said.