Omani Khanjars
 

I inherited these daggers. My mother bought them in Oman on vacation :shrug: , long before I was born in the early 1970s. They hung in my household all my life. Can anyone tell me anything about them? Rumor was always that they were rhino horn handles. If you can confirm or deny that would be extremely helpful in determining if I have to get a permit or something, as I have to move across a border with them. Many thanks in advance!!

Nice khanjars! Based on the pictures, the hilts do indeed look like rhino horn. There is information on CITEs regulations in this forum, but it is best to obtain professional legal advice if you plan on transporting them across state or country borders.

Teodor

It may have helped to know which countries you are crossing through however I will attempt to describe what you have on the weapons layout above . Using picture 1 at #1. ( perhaps you can look at The Omani Khanjar thread for similar examples?
Please see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=Omani+Khanjar

On the first picture at #1 The First at top left is the famous Busaidi Khanjar which seems in reasonable condition on a cloth traditional belt in geometric form. These nearly always have a Rhino or Giraffe horn hilt covered in similar fashion to yours in silver decoration..

Go right to the second Khanjar passing a couple of spare buckles in silver...and a capucine in silver from an Omani Gun probably the Arabized cut back Martini Henry; ..the silver item holds the barrel onto the stock. The second Khanjar is from the interior The Dhakiliyya Region. It is identical to Khanjars from the UAE since they were all actually one place in recent history, around the time your Mother collected these.. This scabbard always shows a lot of leather below the belt with only a modicum of silver stitching.

Bottom right difficult but probably down the coast to either Sur or even a Nizwa Khanjar ...Many regions make other regional styles thus the hesitation but no matter.. it's a standard Omani Khanjar ..

Bottom left. Not an Omani Khanjar. but something just as interesting ethnographically. This is a Baluch dagger … They were the Mercenaries employed by Saiid Sultan and other rulers … they were at Fort Jesus fighting to oust the Portuguese from the Zanj see http://www.mombasa-city.com/history_of_Fort_jesus.htm.

A similar dagger is at the excellent www.Omanisilver.com

I suspect that all these weapons have at the core hilts of Rhino or Giraffe all now essentially banned...but seeing as these are heirlooms and I suspect from about 1920 /1930 that restrictions on these is less strict although you may need to find out from the CITES people what is allowed to cross into the countries you require passage for..

Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

@Ibrahiim al Balooshi

This is extraordinarily helpful, thank you. You are clearly very knowledgable. I was told these were all purchased in Nizwa, except one which was purchased in Sharjah around the same time. I now know exactly which one.

They are currently in Canada, and I have to bring them to the US. I will look into CITES.

Thank You for posting these and for your kind words ...best of luck with getting your items through. :shrug:
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.