My first Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by blue lander

It's tarnished and disintegrating, but it was within my price range. After reading Ibrahiim's extensive khanjar thread, I believe this would be a Muscat style khanjar?

Salaams Blue Lander, Oh Bye the way...There is an excellent website at Omani silver dot com which is an information only ...and presumeably therefor a research site...that has some very good artefacts including swords and Khanjars...etc however I use the site as an example of how confusing the situation can be regarding what is and what is not an Omani Khanjar~

The weapons they show include part of a superb collection of Omani daggers put together by a German source and from East Africa ...and therein lies the problem...East Africa "encompassed" the regional area of Zanzibar and north to the Red Sea for trade etc...Consequently several of the daggers they show are not Omani but very similar... but with a curious flower stamp on the reverse...unknown to Omani style. The stamp originates with the flower tribe in what was the Asir...The other clue is the scabbards are inscribed on the reverse in typical regional style ...Occasionally Omani Khanjars had a makers or owners mark but rarely...whereas on Asir weapons it was common. The weapons have the typical bigger turn in the scabbard. Thus they are purebreds alright... but Yemeni pre 1921 Asir ... Now KSA. These are the daggers that Omani people call Habaabi. (Abha is the capital of that region and Abhaabi or Habaabi means ..."Of Abha") Naturally I have written several times to the authors but as yet without reply...and therefor place the pictures for more research...

Note the dagger has the usual UUUUUU design above the belt section and the bigger turn to the scabbard. The flower stamp is on the reverse. For flower tribe (second picture shows flower tribals) and complete pictorial proof see the following series of pictures;


http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5512947198

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/4336633417

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5780340287

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5780340299

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/4318547823

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

* Pictures below from the non commercial site http://www.omanisilver.com

[blue lander]

This guy just arrived in the mail. I've given it a scrubbing with tooth paste and a tooth brush, I'll try to clean it a bit more.

Any idea what the loops on the back of the scabbard are for?

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Yes its how they attach such weapons as these to the belt. Your dagger is from the Asir... It looks old enough... perhaps before the region was encapsulated into KSA from the Yemen in about 1923...The floral decoration is likely to be flower tribe inspired. In Oman these are called Habaabi... from Abha the capital of that region...For this variant the Royal Omani Khanjar is in the frame...
Good luck with the cleanup...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[blue lander]

I thought the rings on the side were for attaching to the belt, but it makes sense they're attached on the back as well.

I'm so excited to hear this khanjar might be approaching the 100 year mark. From reading your definitive khanjar thread I gather khanjars older than 50 or 60 years are not that common.

This floral tribe, is it the Zahran tribe?

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by blue lander

I thought the rings on the side were for attaching to the belt, but it makes sense they're attached on the back as well.

I'm so excited to hear this khanjar might be approaching the 100 year mark. From reading your definitive khanjar thread I gather khanjars older than 50 or 60 years are not that common.

This floral tribe, is it the Zahran tribe?

The Zahran Tribe inhabits the region in the north of the Asir Plateau. The tribe located nearest to Abha is the Bani Mughaid (source Flowered Men and the Green Slopes of Arabia by Thierry Mauger)

Don't get too excited about the age of your Jambiya. Suggest that you present the piece to someone who can appraise it first hand. Don't forget that something made in 1950s(relatively recently) is still 64 years old today.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by blue lander

I thought the rings on the side were for attaching to the belt, but it makes sense they're attached on the back as well.

I'm so excited to hear this khanjar might be approaching the 100 year mark. From reading your definitive khanjar thread I gather khanjars older than 50 or 60 years are not that common.

This floral tribe, is it the Zahran tribe?

In mentioning the 1920 s as the date of KSA inclusion I hope I did not indicate 100 years old or near... They have been making them in the same region up until now... Looking at the wear I would be happy with 30 years or something like that and some severe damage to the hilt ...maybe it got squashed ... Nothing wrong with 30 years ...Its old enough... Once you have repaired the hilt it will be fine.

[blue lander]

I don't think I can repair the hilt. It looks like it was crushed or perhaps twisted apart. Rather than putting the hilt together and repairing it, they just filled the cracks with what appears to be bondo. So the hilt can't be twisted back into shape or sealed back up unless I were to drill out the bondo. I'll leave it as is for the time being, it feels sturdier than it looks.

On a lighter note, I let my two year old inspect the khanjar scabbard (without the blade of course). She looked it over carefully, poked at it a few times and declared it to be a horn. She then repeated "horn" about 100 times, which she does when she's particularly sure of herself. So in her expert opinion, the khanjar's shape is definitely supposed to be an animal horn.

[ward]

Best way to clean is old toothbrush dipped in straight ammonia and a lot of elbow grease. Rinse out your brush afterwards and repeat process with warm water, dry it with old towel. Material inside the grip is borax, you can glue down the silver with dabs of epoxy. But don't get hot water near it.