Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

ariel · 25th December 2022, 07:47 PM

Both are examples of Jerz.
But there is a much rarer variety from the Bedu inhabitants of the Wahiba Sands in Northern Oman, called Qaddum.
It differs from Jerz by the absence of any decorations, i.e. incisions or brass inlays, but otherwise they are virtually identical in form and size. The Qaddums are made in the town of Sinaw. Jerz were made in the town of Limah, then the last master died, but since 2003 their manufacture was revived in the ton of Khasab. As expected, most of the modern examples are imported frm India and Pakistan.
Other than that, the shafts of Jerz are made of mizi wood, Arabian Almond (Prunus Arabica), or sidr wood ( Lotus Jujube), while Qaddum shafts are made of ghaf wood (Prosopis Cineraria), the only source of wood in Wahiba Sands. I have no idea how to distinguish them:-(.

Most likely, both varieties are just variants of the same implement that somehow acquired independent existence due to the geography of habitation.

Warning: this is NOT the evidence of my wisdom and deep knowledge:-))).
I simply just bought a book by Vincenzo Clarizia " Ancient weapons of Oman", 2022, vol.1. Vol.2 is about Omani firearms, and this is not the area of my interest,

This book contains a lot of unexpected snippets of information about Omani weapons. Highly recommend to all lovers of weapons of South Aravia and even beyond. Read and see what I mean:-)

In the earlier topic I have already noted virtual identicity of Jerz/Qaddum with Carpathian axes and even with Alpenstocks. This is a good example of parallel development in the populations living in the mountais.

25th December 2022, 07:47 PM	#4
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Both are examples of Jerz. But there is a much rarer variety from the Bedu inhabitants of the Wahiba Sands in Northern Oman, called Qaddum. It differs from Jerz by the absence of any decorations, i.e. incisions or brass inlays, but otherwise they are virtually identical in form and size. The Qaddums are made in the town of Sinaw. Jerz were made in the town of Limah, then the last master died, but since 2003 their manufacture was revived in the ton of Khasab. As expected, most of the modern examples are imported frm India and Pakistan. Other than that, the shafts of Jerz are made of mizi wood, Arabian Almond (Prunus Arabica), or sidr wood ( Lotus Jujube), while Qaddum shafts are made of ghaf wood (Prosopis Cineraria), the only source of wood in Wahiba Sands. I have no idea how to distinguish them:-(. Most likely, both varieties are just variants of the same implement that somehow acquired independent existence due to the geography of habitation. Warning: this is NOT the evidence of my wisdom and deep knowledge:-))). I simply just bought a book by Vincenzo Clarizia " Ancient weapons of Oman", 2022, vol.1. Vol.2 is about Omani firearms, and this is not the area of my interest, This book contains a lot of unexpected snippets of information about Omani weapons. Highly recommend to all lovers of weapons of South Aravia and even beyond. Read and see what I mean:-) In the earlier topic I have already noted virtual identicity of Jerz/Qaddum with Carpathian axes and even with Alpenstocks. This is a good example of parallel development in the populations living in the mountais. Last edited by ariel; 25th December 2022 at 08:02 PM.