Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 3rd April 2016, 04:15 PM

Salaams All, Very little was written down in the past about things like dates of Khanjars and historical facts etc ...few people could read or write. In 1970 the entire country came out of the dark ages where it had languished for 100 years following the involvement of Oman in Zanzibar / East Africa and its withdrawal which can be seen as massively disruptive and following the tragic death of Said Sultan ...Said the Great. r 1804-1856.

For centuries the only way that historical facts and traditions was passed down from parents to children was in the Funun ...a series of pageants re enacted through music, poetry, dance and acting similar to pantomime but far more complex. What is interesting to Forum are the sword and khanjar Genres contained in Funun traditional dance.

I note that in India the Khanjar is mentioned in the Metmuseum notes as having appeared sometime in the 16th Century...but in India. It would seem logical that some design transition spread from Persia to India...In Oman it seems to be that the dagger was a skinning and cutting knife for butchering animals game etc and developed earlier as a personal defensive weapon. It is said that one of the wives of Said the Great...her name was Sheherazad designed a number of items for her husband...One was the Royal Hilt to which the Muscat Scabbard was paired with...though it should be remembered that she only redesigned the Hilt.....It appears that this happened before the general move to Zanzibar in about 1830/1835...thus it can be estimated that the Hilt appeared in that bracket...around 1830/35. No other dates are available....She is attributed with the Royal Hilt design that also found its way onto the Iconic Sayf Yamaani but only a select few. Also from the same stable the Royal Camerbund and head dress. The date can only be vague since this particular lady left the Royal Household and returned to Persia apparently with a lover and before the move to Zanzibar proper ! All we can guestimate is that all over Oman regional styles developed gradually over the years though many centres can make the style of other areas and that close similarities exist between UAE and Omani variants and that some copying may be apparent in the Asir and perhaps other areas close to Oman but affected by trade shipping etc.
The Omani Khanjar is still made today in exactly the same way it was 100 years ago. Designs are protected in Omani law so that a new form or type cannot be made here... it must be one of the original designs.

The key Omani Government site is at http://khanjar.om/home.html where you will hardly find a single definitive date ... You may get added detail from my thread on The Omani Khanjar on http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=omani+khanjar

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

3rd April 2016, 04:15 PM	#3
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Salaams All, Very little was written down in the past about things like dates of Khanjars and historical facts etc ...few people could read or write. In 1970 the entire country came out of the dark ages where it had languished for 100 years following the involvement of Oman in Zanzibar / East Africa and its withdrawal which can be seen as massively disruptive and following the tragic death of Said Sultan ...Said the Great. r 1804-1856. For centuries the only way that historical facts and traditions was passed down from parents to children was in the Funun ...a series of pageants re enacted through music, poetry, dance and acting similar to pantomime but far more complex. What is interesting to Forum are the sword and khanjar Genres contained in Funun traditional dance. I note that in India the Khanjar is mentioned in the Metmuseum notes as having appeared sometime in the 16th Century...but in India. It would seem logical that some design transition spread from Persia to India...In Oman it seems to be that the dagger was a skinning and cutting knife for butchering animals game etc and developed earlier as a personal defensive weapon. It is said that one of the wives of Said the Great...her name was Sheherazad designed a number of items for her husband...One was the Royal Hilt to which the Muscat Scabbard was paired with...though it should be remembered that she only redesigned the Hilt.....It appears that this happened before the general move to Zanzibar in about 1830/1835...thus it can be estimated that the Hilt appeared in that bracket...around 1830/35. No other dates are available....She is attributed with the Royal Hilt design that also found its way onto the Iconic Sayf Yamaani but only a select few. Also from the same stable the Royal Camerbund and head dress. The date can only be vague since this particular lady left the Royal Household and returned to Persia apparently with a lover and before the move to Zanzibar proper ! All we can guestimate is that all over Oman regional styles developed gradually over the years though many centres can make the style of other areas and that close similarities exist between UAE and Omani variants and that some copying may be apparent in the Asir and perhaps other areas close to Oman but affected by trade shipping etc. The Omani Khanjar is still made today in exactly the same way it was 100 years ago. Designs are protected in Omani law so that a new form or type cannot be made here... it must be one of the original designs. The key Omani Government site is at http://khanjar.om/home.html where you will hardly find a single definitive date ... You may get added detail from my thread on The Omani Khanjar on http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=omani+khanjar Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi. Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 3rd April 2016 at 04:29 PM.