Omani Jambiya for comments
 

Good afternoon gentlemen.

This Jambiya comes with a story......
A dealer bought this in front of me at a fair a few months ago.
I was NOT happy! :(

I of course had a look at it when it appeared on his stall at the next fair and I even told him how he beat me to it and congratualted him on having done so.

Anyway, He was having a very slow day today, so it's finally found it's way to me for a very modest profit for him (that I can live with).

So, if anything has 'rubbed off' on me from my from my conversations with Stuart about the finer nuances of jambiya-lore........
I would venture that this is an Omani Jambiya.
It has hand chiseled decoration on the silver, not the 'rolled' decoration I often see, so I'd say this is quite an old one. Belt is nice, beautiful Silver buckle, finely woven silver scabbard decoration.

Comments, estimates of age and any further information (or corrections if I've got it wrong) greatfully received as always.

Best
Gene

Not my area of collecting but this one is very beautiful! :eek: Which material is used by the handle grips?

Regards,

Detlef

Thank you Detlef.
In a change from the usual Rhino horn, this one seems to be Ivory.
Best Wishes
Gene

Great looker
 

Great looking piece Gene, congrats!
I have a similar story with a recent purchace from OA.

Detlef, the hilt material appears to be walrus ivory, most unusual.

Gav

Hi Gav,
Thanks mate.
It's frustrating when you miss out and see someone else buying something nice.
I've literally been reaching for something and someone has picked it up first!!! :mad:
I was suprised he didn't resell it instantly, lucky he's just a locally based dealer I guess!

Do you really it's think Walrus?
Here's some better pics:

Hi Gav,

yes, by looking to the additional pictures Gene posted I think you are right, it seems to be walrus ivory. :)

Regards,

Detlef

I hadn't even considered Walrus. I didn't know it was a material used for Omani Hilts.

That's an interesting development!

No shots of the blade? :shrug:

Good point David!
So any thoughts?

Congratulations from me as well - great piece overall, and I love the walrus ivory hilt.
Teodor

That is a lovely khanjar but I disagree on the the hilt. It seems to be elephant ivory to me not walrus. I see no pith in the surface which to me means elephant.

:( :( ... but seriously a very nice piece Gene. Even the buckle is true Omani. A really good find, and if I am right another Arabian Peninsula collector emerges..............................

Teodor,
Thanks :) I'm pretty pleased with it.

Lew,
Cheers, is Khanjar the technically correct name for these then?
The ivory shows some ageing whatever it is.

Stuart,
:) Thanks bud! It's all down to you really. I'll have to have a small display now I guess!

I love the silverwork, especially the buckle! It's a little cracker :)

Are ivory hilts significant on these or indicators of anything specific?
Tribal/region specific or status or age of the owner or something?

What about age of the piece?
Do you see many Omani with Ivory hilts?

As I write this I'm trying to get the polish residue out of the silver wire on the scabbard.
What a job!
Toothbrush and isopropol alcohol.
:(

hilt
 

Gene, have a little look closer at the surfaces and cross section of surfaces..
The info below may help you work it out as you have the piece in hand.

The initial image showed a good possibility of marine ivory especially with the fluted waist. Your follow up images also indicated that it could be marine ivory despite that the medulla wasn't utalized, (Small edges of the Medulla could well be present under the backing silver depending on the size of a tusk used and where and how a tusk is cut). Your further images also indicated the possibility or Elephant ivory. When considering Elephant ivory the cross section should reveal the Lines of Retzius or engine tuning.

Great condition...beautiful craftsmanship...good photography! I'm sure this is a story we can all relate too...glad it finally found it's way to you. Thanks for sharing!!!

Thanks Nathaniel.


Gav,
I'll have to have a better look in daylight.
Back tomorrow.
;)

Hi Gene,
To answer your question to Lew re correct name. In Oman these ARE called Khanjar which is pronounced KUN-JA. Are ivory hilts common? Not in my book...don't recall seeing one before on a dagger of this type, but suggest that some wealthy person had this made. Agewise I would say around mid to late 20th century, judging by condition and the fact that the buckle shows no wear. These are still being made NEW by the way, and the odd one is beginning to appear on a certain auction site.
Maybe Ibrahiim will come in on this and be able to give you some more conclusive opinion.
Stu

Hi Stu,

Thats very interesting! "Khanjar" it is then :)

I wonder why someone wanted Ivory and not Silver or Horn?

As for lacking signs of age.....
It has been polished to within an inch of it's life (recently), when I first saw it, it had much more 'patina' on the silver parts. If you look at the colour of the suspension loops that haven't been recently cleaned, they are dark and oxidised from age as are the silver parts concealed from the polishing cloth. Also the belt is rather faded and uniformly age faded by general atmospheric exposure and ambient light, not scorched by direct over exposure to strong sunlight.
The leather strap also seems to have coloured the belt, presumably by seepage of tanins.
The leather parts and strap are somewhat brittle, and in places quite worn. You can see where the silver pin from the buckle has actually over time stained the hole in the strap that it was in, leaving it blackened.
I've cleaned the polish residue out of the scabbard, so hopefully the quality and construction are more visible now. The weaving was a bit 'clogged' (why do people use silvo/brasso?).
The silverwork (chasing) on many of the Jambiya/Khanjar that I see (where I cam be sure of their dating as post ww2) seems to have been made in a different way. I always think of it as 'rolled' because it looks as though a strip of silver foil has been run through a roller to emboss a pattern onto it.
The silverwork on this is much more traditional in its construction. I've only seen this on examples that are 'older'.
In fact when I got a chance to examine it, this was possibly the biggest draw for me.
Finally the Ivory itself has signs of some ageing.
I can see it being first half 20thC, but I can't see it being much into the second half. IMHO of course.
Have a look at these new pics mate:

Best
Gene

It's difficult to find examples with specific dates.
Here is one from wiki described as:
Khanjar, Saidi-type, circa 1924, from Oman.
It seems to have many of the elements that I would have usually associated with later Arabian daggers.

Anyway, back to mine.
Here it is cleaned up (polish residue brushed out):

Just beautiful! :)

Gav,
It's really difficult to show, but I think I can see signs of the 'engine turning' on the end, LOL great description!

Hi Detlef,

Thanks bud, it's kind of you to say so.
Best
Gene


Edit: Peter O'Toole in Lawrence of Arabia is on telly now! Thats 4 hours of my afternoon taken up now! ;)

I can see it faint as it is. Gav being that it is a mid to later 20th century piece walrus ivory would not have been used you only see this type of material on hilts prior to say the 1920s. Btw the raw walrus ivory ban was established in 1972.

20th century, but certainly plenty old enough to pre-date the Ivory ban here.

Lew!
LOL, just realised it's your first post to the thread and NO OPINION?
Come on bud! ;) What do you think?

I think it is a superb example the rib on the blade is nicely forged and is of excellent quality. I would place the age around around 1950 but could be a bit earlier. You did well my friend :)

As I previously said---mid 2oth century. I think we tend to forget that we are now in the 21st Century! Agreed 1950ish....mid 20th century.
Stu

Lew,

Thank you.
Thats very kind of you to say bud :o

Stu,

Cheers for the clarification on the age. Glad you like it too of course ;)

Best
Gene

Hi
really, just beautiful!
I love it, with hilt in walrus ivory, looks gorgeous :D

à +

Dom