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Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi
Made in Oman for sure. For the UAE market / client. Could be an Indian or Yemeni replacement blade.
On replacement parts ~ By nature the Omani Khanjar is a multiple set of parts very often with replaced blades and occasionally hilts. Belts and add ons get replaced all the time. Upgrading Khanjars is what Omani men do all the time... Its part and parcel of the Khanjar situation and is normal proceedure. ... All Khanjar dealers in Oman have access to the vast range of spare parts we need to carry and most either have their own workshops like us or blister onto a local one for minor repairs and upgrades. It seems peculiar to the Khanjar, since, how many ethnographic daggers are there around with upwards of 10 separate parts?
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.
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Ibrahiim, I believe that there is a big difference between what Omani men do
within the acceptance of their own culture and what collectors of antique edged weapons are willing to do in regards to the weapons they collect from
other cultures. The collection of antique weapons (well anything antique really) usually involves an interest in the preservation of the history of the piece collected. Therefore the collector isn't looking to
create a pristine piece of their own accord (though finding a true antique in pristine condition is something of a "holy grail" for many). This is obviously not the case in regards to an Omani man who still uses the blade in question as part of their traditional garb. For him keeping the blade upgraded and pristine is a matter of pride for a weapon that is still in "service", so to speak.
Something similar can be found in the Indonesian keris BTW. There are many parts to the keris which are often upgraded within the tradition, such as sheaths, sheath parts (pendok), mendaks, hilts and even gonjos at times. Blades can also be traditionally upgraded with the application of gold to the blade (kinatah). In certain areas of Indonesia it is acceptable to reshape worn out edges. To some extent the keris collecting community, even many outside the culture, have embraced the idea of upgrading, though for me some go too far. As an outsider, i would never dream of adding kinatah to a blade, for instance. That is done as a matter of honor and reward
within the culture. I will clean and restore sheaths, to a certain extent, replace a lost mendak or pendok and clean and stain a blade that is in need. I would even commission a new sheath for a blade that goes without, but would rather maintain or restore an original sheath if the blade has one already in good repair. What i do see happen at times in the keris community is dress upgrades that far exceed the quality and status of the blade itself. For me this is unacceptable, but it has become a common practice.