Billao
Type of shortsword from the Horn of Africa
- Type
- dagger
A billao (Somali: billaawe), also known as a bilaawe, is a horn-hilted Somali shortsword or long dagger depending on blade length. It served most notably as a close-quarters weapon in the Dervish State, at the turn of the 20th century, as well as northern sultanates around that same time period.
External links
Facts from Wikidata Q862705 (CC0); quoted introduction from English Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Data retrieved 2026-10-22.
Data: Wikidata (CC0 1.0); Wikipedia (English) (CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.