Quote:
|
Originally Posted by Lew
Just finished on eBay but I forgot to bid  . Looks like the hilt is wood the whole packacge seems a mix of Yemen and or Omani ? |
Breakthrough !!!
Salaams Lew, A Al Nakkas, Spiral, Atlantia, Khanjar 1 and all interested parties in this discussion. I have been staring at this little conundrum for many days on and off.. something just not right... so it is with some relief that I can now tell everyone what this weird number actually is. At the same time I am able to clear up one thorny issue over the terminology "Habaabi" aluded to by me on several occasions on details in other threads but never able til now to nail it correctly..
Personally I have had the run around after information on this subject thinking (based on rumour and other peoples supposition here in Oman) that Habaabi was a generic term applied to several tracts of Saudia when in fact it only applies to one region..It is the name of an actual place in the South and fits with the origin of species of the daggers at my thread "The Omani Khanjar"... It used to be in the Yemen but was incorporated into Saudia about 90 years ago. The style appears to have migrated as a copied in design after the Royal Omani Khanjar, Muscat from perhaps the mid 19th C.
It is very specific in that its design is quite unlike any other Yemeni (or Saudia variant), however, is parallel in style in almost all aspects to the Omani Royal Khanjar.
The seaport of Jazan was a major trading sealink with Muscat. The new design of Royal Kkanjar would have easily found preference there since Jazan is on the through trade route to and from Zanzibar as well as being itself an important trade port link.
I am delighted to report to Forum that what we have here is
The Original form Habaabi Khanjar on a Rhino hilt. It forms a benchmark for the original style of dagger from that region and all over the Jazan.
The Habaabi Khanjar. 
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.