Small jambiya/khanjar translucent handle.

[Marc M.]

A small jambiya/khanjar 26 cm oal, with a good steel solid blade with some pitting on one side and a handle made of horn.
Now other than the small size there is nothing special about this dagger until I looked at the hilt with a strong light source and determined the it was completely translucent. In the hilt are a large number of small silver pins struck at one end and also at the top and two studs on the hilt that appear to be gilded. I know rhinoceros is sometimes translucent but I can't find the typical hair texture anywhere. According to the seller so it would be giraffe horn but I have no idea what that texture looks like. Your opinion is welcome.

Regards
Marc

[Sajen]

I don't think that it is rhino horn. The seller could be correct by his statement. I hope someone will be able to be more helpful as I am. ;)

Regards,
Detlef

[Peter Hudson]

Hello , You have a nice Rhino Hilt there. The weapon is an Omani Khanjar. ...No Scabbard? Please note that on the thread Omani Khanjars; at post 221 is an example of a rhino hilt showing a picture of the end of the pommel ... note the stacked spaghetti form of the illuminated horn... Peter Hudson

[Gonzoadler]

Hello,

I doubt that it is rhino, it is looking rather like buffalo or ram horn.

Regards
Robin

[Gustav]

Yes, not rhino.

[Marc M.]

Hello , You have a nice Rhino Hilt there. The weapon is an Omani Khanjar. ...No Scabbard? Please note that on the thread Omani Khanjars; at post 221 is an example of a rhino hilt showing a picture of the end of the pommel ... note the stacked spaghetti form of the illuminated horn... Peter Hudson

Hi Peter, thank you for your response. Unfortunately no scabbard, that would have made identification easier. I have tested the light transmittance of my other khanjars and jambiyas and one jambiya is also completely light translucent. Never tested before because of the lack of the typical stacked spaghetti structure. The only khanjar, KSA, that I have with a rhinoceros handle has that structure clearly visible but is not light translucent at all. Are there other horn types that are also light transmitting? Is the typical hair structure always visible with rhinoceros?
Regards
Marc

[Marc M.]

Detlef, Robin and Gustav, thanks for your response. At first glance I did not suspect rhino horn but the light transmission is confusing. I found among the materials I have a piece of sheep/ram horn and a Turkish knife of probably the same material. Both are translucent.

Regards
Marc

[Marc M.]

Detlef, Robin and Gustav, thanks for your response. At first glance I did not suspect rhino horn but the light transmission is confusing. I found among the materials I have a piece of sheep/ram horn and a Turkish knife of probably the same material. Both are translucent.

Regards
Marc

Pictures.

[Gonzoadler]

Buffalo and ram horn can be translucent, too. To identify rhino you need to looking for the characteristical structure.

Regards
Robin

[Peter Hudson]

I have never seen a Rams horn Omani Khanjar hilt. Cow horn was a cheap alternative. The two main contenders were Rhino or Giraffe...usually from Zanzibar trade. ..often sourced by Omani traders and hunters working in Africa...funnelling horn from areas like the Great Lakes. The other main contender for expensive hilts was of course Elephant Ivory.
Cheaper wooden varieties included any wood available as the cheapest up to Sandalwood as the more expensive ...
On reflection and its just a thought the two materials in contention here are Rhino and Giraffe...In the old days these were expensive but quite difficult to differentiate...but on balance the translucent feature seems to indicate Rhino Horn although the pommel in this case seems not to show that ...as is sometimes the case but anyway my estimate is still on Rhino...
It would be nice to put a scabbard arround the example at Post 1 and then consider what sort of belt and accoutrements it would suit. As noted at 1 the short silver pins are visible in the light and a typical floral design etc is displayed in the example...

It is interesting to see the detail contained in the main Forum work on this subject The Omani Khanjar as this remains as the main go to reference for these weapons.
Regards, Peter Hudson.