Shabriya

[Hombre]

Should be very grateful for opinions about this one....

Best,
Stefan

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by Hombre

Should be very grateful for opinions about this one....

Best,
Stefan

Hi
It's a shibriya from 1947 probably from Jordan.

[ariel]

The 1947 date etched into the blade, but it is rather funny: Arabic Islamic numerals, but the date is written using Christian calendar:-)
Yes, most likely Jordan.

[Hombre]

Thank you so very much for your opinions, guys!
I bow my head for your knowledge!
Anyway, it is not a tourist knife or....

Best,
Stefan

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by Hombre

Anyway, it is not a tourist knife or....

Well if you look at our forum, you will see some bedouins in Petra with the same knives...
So it's not a tourist object but probably a colonial souvenir, many British brought back this kind of knife.

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by ariel

The 1947 date etched into the blade, but it is rather funny: Arabic Islamic numerals, but the date is written using Christian calendar:-)

This is very common and not unusual in Jordan, Syria, Algeria, Morocco...
It's what they called the progress of colonisation.

[Sajen]

Hi Stefan,

Very nice example! Would like to see pictures when it is polished up a little bit!

Regards,
Detlef

[motan]

Hi Stefan,
I agree with all above. Very typical style for Jordan and for the period, so 100% Jordan. As Kubur mentioned, these were produced in relatively large numbers and brought back by British soldiers as souvenirs, but were also used locally. For example, the Arab legion had them as part of their standard attire, though they were not provided by the army.
I attached a few pictures. Sorry for the quality, but I stole them from the web and you can see that. The first is of an Arab Legion soldier in full attire, the second could be from the legion, but also a Palestinian rebel judging by the rifle, which does not look British to me (?) and the black and white headgear. In the third, there are soldiers of the camel corps of the Arab Legion at a social event. You can see different styles of shibriyas, some of which are older and others are contemporary with yours.
As for the dates, Gregorian date in Arabic numerals was the standard practice in the region after WWI. Hijri dates almost always come on daggers from the Ottoman period.