Hello,
A correspondent of mine sent me these photos of a janbiya he bought "somewhere in the middle of the desert during a trip to Syria." His question, of course, is whether it is a knife for the tourist or something more. I lean towards the latter, especially due to the quality and interesting reinforced tip of the blade and the beautiful hilt.
He obtained a translation of the writing on the blade:
Quote:
In the middle, the year: 1942 ???
And a verse from a poem by Al-Mutanabbi
لا يسلم الشرف الرفيع من الأذى
حتى يراق على جوانبه الدم
High honor is never safe from harm
until there is bloodshed at its sides
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I always enjoy learning the inscriptions on these blades. The poetry is usually very apropos the purpose of the knife!
Best,
Dave A.