Salaams all Note to Library~
For Reference:The basis of the discussion is at #17.
The Royal Omani Khanjar.
We know that Sheherazad the Persian Princess who was one of the wives of Sayyid Said Bin Sultan who ruled Oman 1800 to 1856 designed the Royal Khanjar, The Royal Turban and more than likely the Royal Hilt of the Iconised Omani Battle Sword. The likely timeline to be confirmed is about 1850. I show a couple of Royal Hilts below.
What was not realised was that it was
ONLY the hilt of the Khanjar not the scabbard that she altered and redesigned following, it is thought, the more ornate Indian style to which she was more attracted.
This refined detail is important since it means that the 7 rings are older than 1850 (the assumed aproximate date of the redesign) and that the original dagger that she worked on must therefor already have had 7 rings. This places the Muscat dagger shown below as the likely contender for the origin of species at least of the Omani Royal Khanjar prior to its conversion... and is entirely logical since the rings are in fact not meant as a design feature but a technological engineering device which holds the whole scabbard together...and that was not what she was about...
Artistic designer yes... Engineer no. HILT ONLY
This places a very important couple of questions in the frame viz;
1. If the Asir (then Yemeni) variant known in Oman as Habaabi was copied from the
The Muscat Khanjar when did this occur since it is now free from the constraints of the date line 1850 and may well be a much earlier transmission ?
2. If the Asir (then Yemeni) variant known in Oman as Habaabi is not related to the Royal Khanjar but to
The Muscat Khanjar when did the transition occur and in which direction. Muscat > Yemen ? or Yemen Muscat ?
I now request Forum to compare the Muscat Dagger to the Asir weapon and to sideline the Royal Khanjar since it is not related.
For pictorial references to Asir variants see;
http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5512947198
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/4336633417
http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5780340287
http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5780340299
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/4318547823
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.