The Habaabi Khanjar/Jambia; FromThe Asir.

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you very much Ibrahiim, and for astutely realizing that my comments were indeed directed at the group of threads which have run concurrently and all addressing various scope of Arabian history and arms. As you note I was actually reiterating what my own opinion was concerning aspects of these, and I did not actually address the kahnjhar matter specifically because that particular segment is still clouded to me.

My main objective here was primarily to address collectively the profoundly present 'contention' which has constantly plagued these otherwise fascinating threads. My hope is that all participants in these will ascend to the higher goal of focus on subject matter without personal rancor. The great thread on Omani forts and cannon already has fallen victim to this and we have too much vested here to lose another.

Since the participants I intended to address have been engaged in all the threads I refer to in my post, and was prompted by the most current 'interactions' , it simply fell into this thread.

Thank you everybody for your consideration in the matter.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Thank you very much Ibrahiim, and for astutely realizing that my comments were indeed directed at the group of threads which have run concurrently and all addressing various scope of Arabian history and arms. As you note I was actually reiterating what my own opinion was concerning aspects of these, and I did not actually address the kahnjhar matter specifically because that particular segment is still clouded to me.

My main objective here was primarily to address collectively the profoundly present 'contention' which has constantly plagued these otherwise fascinating threads. My hope is that all participants in these will ascend to the higher goal of focus on subject matter without personal rancor. The great thread on Omani forts and cannon already has fallen victim to this and we have too much vested here to lose another.

Since the participants I intended to address have been engaged in all the threads I refer to in my post, and was prompted by the most current 'interactions' , it simply fell into this thread.

Thank you everybody for your consideration in the matter.

Salaams Jim, It is always a pleasure to see you write and as an example to the standard we all aspire to... It was indeed sad to see the Forts thread closed and I can only hope that it reopens since there is a lot of detail to add there ...and from the viewpoint of the excellent additions made by authors like Fernando and who put such a lot of expensive time and effort into their posts I feel most sad...The canon museum in the great fort at Rostaq was on my agenda and as you know I spent months traveling hundreds of kilometres and getting ministry permission etc I was able to compile the lead in to what I hoped would be a key thread...There are over 1000 old forts in Oman and we were in the process of delivering them onto a readable compendium not yet seen and with the Sohar fort unfrocked so to speak... A phenomena that may not be seen for another 100 years..

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[blue lander]

If the Asir region is so isolated, I wonder how these khanjars found their way to western collections. Perhaps the people there trade with people from more acessible regions, and from there they end up in our hands.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by blue lander

If the Asir region is so isolated, I wonder how these khanjars found their way to western collections. Perhaps the people there trade with people from more acessible regions, and from there they end up in our hands.

Its more to do with visitors getting in... rather than stuff getting out.
Regards,
Ibrahahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all. Please see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...8&page=7&pp=30 where the appearance of a new website at http://khanjar.om/Parts.html introduces my reasoned link between Sur and the Red Sea regions ...
The Flower Tribe/ Asir / Habaabi style of Khanjar and the Omani Al Wusta type.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

I repeat here a post I have placed at The Omani Khanjar...

Salaams All~ One burning question is...Regarding the Al Wusta khanjar and its almost identical like ness to the weapon in the Asir (The flower tribe khanjar...also known as Habaabi...of Abha ...which I note only differs in that the Asir style often carries a floral stamp and or a signature on the reverse. (Potentially an owners signature)

Was this weapon faithfully copied by artesans who may have migrated from Al Wusta /perhaps blood relatives...Silversmiths that simply moved to the Asir from Oman ...or is it simply the result of weapons being shipped from Al Wusta and stamped/signed in the Asir...i.e. traded in ?

Regards,
Ibrahim al Balooshi.

[cpkaway2]

Hello fellow members,

I obtained this jambiya/khanjar in Vancouver more than 10 years ago. On my recent trip to Gulf States and Oman I hoped to learn more about it and confir that it was Omani. Also I hoped to obtain an older belt for it. Unfortunately my tablet computer ceased to work so I could not show photos of it to anyone. I did manage to find similar 7-ring knives in the Nizwa souq which the vendors identified as Al Saidi (Sa´idiyyah).

After reading this interesting thread it seems most likely that it is from the Asir region rather than Oman. Adding credence to this is the emblem on the back of the hilt. It is very similar to the Saudi coat of arms: crossed swords below a palm tree. The coat of arms was adopted in 1950, which would indicate the knife was not made before that date. I do not know, however, if the coat of arms was designed in 1950 or if it were a symbol in use before then and officially adopted only in 1950. Anyone know?

I would be interested in your thoughts about this jambiya/khanjar, including whether the hilt is bone or wood, and if the writing on the chape is decipherable.

Regards
Chris