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Old 3rd November 2012, 04:04 PM   #65
Ibrahiim al Balooshi
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kahnjar1
Number 2 above is described by Steve Gracie in his book Jambiya Daggers from the Souks of Yemen (Page 149), as "A MADD JAMBIYA" from Lahej region of Yemen. Also on Page 148 there is a photograph dated 1920 of a Yaffa tribesman wearing one of these.
IMHO it shows none of the usual traits of Omani origins.

Salaams kahnjar1 ~Take a walk through the souk in Salalah and see how many Jebalis are wearing these. Its only 100 kilometres from Salalah to the Yemen border and "straddling it" are several Jebali tribes. This dagger style flows both ways. The silver work is Salalah. I spent 6 years there ... 4 of which were in the mountains and on the border. I saw lots of Jebalis wearing these ~every day. Believe me this one is a Salalah (regional ) Jebali dagger. Knowing the region I asked the shop owner where this one was from to confirm it was Dhofari not Yemeni...He said Salalah. He's "al Balooshi" as well ... and has the Mutrah shop.

Separating the two forms is probably impossible without having each of the owners standing in front of you as they are virtually identical people and it would be very difficult to separate the two marks. The two forms are, thus, probably one..and though I don't have the local name to hand it wouldn't surprise me if it was similar.

Origin of ethnographic species is often linked to items and it is easy to see how the run down degraded old Yemeni water works called The Mehrib Dam that finally collapsed in about the 6th Century AD brought with it through the 3rd to 6th Centuries a massive exodus from Yemen to Oman. With that must have traversed many artifact styles and probably craftsmen.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 4th November 2012 at 02:20 PM.
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