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Originally Posted by kahnjar1
I realise that these are not strictly weapons, but they came with other weaponry related items, so hope the Mods will let this run.
1. Ginger Pots--copper with either silver or tin wash. Most likely from Nizwa.
2. Heart shaped silver decoration for holding hair tidy at the back. Is attached to back of dress.
3.Shovel shaped hanger with red stone. Boys head dress "Dinar mal walad"
4.Hair decoration. Hooks on to other head decoration.
5.Six strand chin chain (most are 5 strand). Hooks at each end to head dress.
6.Silver Tweezer and pick set. Often worn as an accessory to the Jambiya/Khanjar.
7. Necklace with Hirz or Quran Box, probably from Nizwa. As can be seen this opens at one end, and YES there is a text inside. Very brittle so I will not attempt to unfold it.
8.Omani Rings. The pointed one is for the first finger, the other two yet to be identified.
9.Talahiq primer flask in silver and gold. Believed to be from Salalah.
Hope you enjoy, as these are now very rare items outside Oman.
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Salaams kahnjar1 ~ More detail ~
Ref your 1. The ginger jars are tinned
not silvered. Tinning was achieved by dunking or drenching (often the work of Gypsies "Zutut" in days gone by) They are often coated both inside and out. Tin coating prevented verdigris poisoning and was done on spoons, utensils, plates, pots, coffee pots ... any utility objects of brass or copper used in food/drink preparation or presentation.
Ref Your 2. Heart Shaped Hair Decoration ~These danglers as bell forms are particular to the Oman Coast and are an Indian influence.
Ref your 3. Boys forehead decoration. The single bead is warding off the evil eye.
Ref Your 4. Hair decoration in the west has reduced down the milenia to the occasional hair bangle or decorated pins/clips whereas in Omani Tribal Jewelery there are many items; danglers, pins, corded weave-ins and enhancements frozen in time and therefor still worn. There is also an important linkup to ear rings often huge and worn in bunches supported by silver headchains as well as the underchin items.
Ref your 5. Underchin Omani Hair Hook and chain Jewelery; Richardson and Dore note another type close to this style with wool strands instead of silver from the Wahiba sands.
Ref your 6. The Tweezers for thorns and spikes for leather work. Worn with the Khanjar or on the gunbelt ~ also worn in the Sharqiyah in the head dress chained to the hagal(camel rope) around the head dress.
Ref your 7. They dont come much nicer than this!! ... Particularly nice is the face of the box decoration and equally the two first long silver ferrules at the left and right said to go back in time more than 1000 years. You can see the smaller spikey silver ferrules making up the bulk of the main necklace and these are important since the jewellery is wedding dowry and the spikes will eventually wear down slowly with age as maturity grows in the marriage...Thats the theory !
Ref your 8. Now I see the rings in closeup I can see what they are. These, in fact, follow the style of a type of
bangle called Nijimaat mal Bedu... Stars of the bedouin. In the case of the little bumps being rather pointed they switch to being Showqaat or thorn tree bangles (they look like punk jewellery) but in this case we have
rings in the likeness to the former. Since the thumb and index finger are booked out to one specific ring each that leaves a choice of either the middle finger or the next one but not the pinkie finger which has its own ring. I think you get the flavour of the friendly arguements that we have as on which finger they should be worn... I will shoot a picture of rings with the Omani names and showing which fingers etc.
Ref your 9. Talahiq. The Omani powder flask. One of at least 3 designs ; the others being gazelle horn and a wooden version.. Yours is used all over Oman not only Salalah ~ this looks like a typical Northern Omani design . Sometimes seen with a leather strap(that I see the remnants of on yours) and originally worn on the back of the neck hanging down ~ Purely practical for charging through the bushes.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.