Two battle axes comments

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kronckew

the 1st one loks like a fokos from the balkans/carpathians. they also come in decorated brass. also known as ciupaga they can have very decorative hafts and engraved heads. defensive walking sticks for those trips to the pub thru the forest at night, for wolves, four legged or two legged. the ciupaga hafts have an alpine spike at the bottom end.

2nd looks like an arabian mussandam axe/walking stick.

more modern repro from hungary: top
one of my ciupaga: top middle, chromed head
my little arabian mussandam jers axe/walking stick: bottom middle
my other brass headed ciupaga,
sheet brass guard over the edge: bottom

Salaams kronckew,

Your axe is indeed from the Musandam however the axe in question is not. It is from the Wahaybah in Oman. Whereas Musandam Jers (or Jirz) are incised and very often inlaid with brass and sometimes silver,(which may have developed because of its Iconic stature; there it is carried as a badge of office as is the Khanjar in other areas of Oman) whilst the Wahaybah(or Wahiibah) axes (qaddum) are not.. In the Wahaybah it is used on camel back... as a camel stick and defensive weapon on a shaft of Ghaf.

I often see Jers axes (I have about 20 in my collection) and the wood is Meez which is very hard..The Jers axes are made in Lima and Khasab. The Wahaybay Qaddum are made in Sinaw and a fine description is outlined in the chapter on Musandam in the Omani Cultural Heritage document by Richardson and Dorr and particularly in pages 78 and 79 and covered fully in respect of the Wayhaybah weapon on page 453.
Photos show;

1.Musandam map and
2.Jers and
3.Qaddum

The bottom qaddum being more or less identical to the axe in question though I have to say I'm unsure as to the other axe in question with a curled sort of handle sprouting from the hammer end... that I think is unrelated ~ possibly Indian?

Regards,
Ibrahiim Al Balooshi.