Hi all,
This is a recent acquisition (pics 1, 2, 3). Not much of a collectors piece because scabbard is missing and the blade is both badly made and roughed up. However, it is interesting enough to show it here, I think.
This dagger from South Syria is relatively large for this type - 31cm (12 and a bit inch), sturdy and with a sharp and practical blade. Interesting features:
1. It resembles one of the earliest forms of Majdali daggers, as shown in the 4th and 5th pictures below
2. The blade is shibriya-like, but also resembles dog-leg blades typical of primitive daggers from this area, as well older Majdalis. It is made of an old file, a very common feature in this type from late 19th/early 20th c
3. It has a date on the middle section of the hilt -1310 Hijri = 1892/3 Gregorian. It is the oldest date I have seen so far on daggers from this area.
4. It has pigeons on the hilt. This symbol is very common in later and modern shibriyas. Some experts think that it signifies Jordanian origin, but Jordan or even Jordanian entity did not exists in late 19th c.
In previous threads, I suggested that the blade shape common to Jordanian, Syrian and Palestinian (but not Arabian) shibriyas is simply a dog-leg blade with the point turned forward for practical or aesthetic reasons (
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...Motan+Shibriya). This probably did not happen at once and in very early shibriyas, the point is off the line of the hilt (last picture was posted by Khanjar1 some years ago). The new dagger seems to support this assertion.