Salaams Jim, At #5 the story unfolds; Was it brought to the shores of Musandam by sailors from other lands or was it picked up by the people of Musandam in the course of voyages down the Arabian Gulf and out into the Indian Ocean? Or was it developed by an artistic smith keen to showcase his skills as a good metal worker and an artist? The antecedents of the jerz are covered in mist. There are no records to indicate how it came to be an integral tool in this society. The quest to find where this tiny hardware surfaced from and who influenced the design and the fine decoration on the blade and the handle draws a blank.
Later in that article the focus seems to be toward a 2nd Milenium BC origin and I may have noted that the curator of al ain Museum conducted a study on the weapon. It is perhaps related to other axes across the Gulf in Luristan for example and onward to India and Northwards to Europe though it is here in Arabia that this weapon is now embedded as almost an Icon of The Mussandam. Regards Ibrahim al Balooshi.
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