The Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

High Density Plastic hilts called "Ameriky" here~ Not a bad looking couple of Khanjars and nicely decorated in the Royal Khanjar form (in Salalah style) on the left and a broad meaty hilted T shaped 4 ringer on the right.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

On the waist ...

[Ian]

Ibrahiim:

This is a huge and highly illustrated thread and you have contributed much of it. Thank you for such a rich source of archival material on this interesting subject. May I ask, which of these are ones that you own? I see a lot of high quality examples, and I was wondering if you have collected them over many years. Are they your passion?

Regards,

Ian.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Ian

Ibrahiim:

This is a huge and highly illustrated thread and you have contributed much of it. Thank you for such a rich source of archival material on this interesting subject. May I ask, which of these are ones that you own? I see a lot of high quality examples, and I was wondering if you have collected them over many years. Are they your passion?

Regards,

Ian.

Salaams Ian, I have set up a network of like minded people in the following centres of Omani Khanjar making ~ Muttrah, Muscat, Sur, Nizwa, Bahlah, Ibri, Sohar, Senaw, Salalah. They feed in details to my own library all the time. Some I take on to my collection others remain as heirlooms or I repair and recycle some.My own workshops in Sohar is key to UAE and Dhakiliyyah Khanjar production and also Baatinah styles. Stuff is on the move all the time either repaired or re-belted or in some cases they are not redeemable and go into the scrap bin... Actually eaten by termites is the worst damage I have seen.

In fact the Omani Sword is my number one passion in Omani Arms and a treatise will be available on that subject fairly soon; meanwhile Forum has I believe the finest store ...Library... on The Omani Khanjar anywhere.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Many people ask me what to look out for when viewing Omani Khanjars.. Rather than list the obvious perhaps if we examine a pretty bad example and see what is the outcome.. Here is one of the worst examples of abuse and misuse I have seen ...

It is battered and broken as well as riddled with termite .The silver is bad quality and the hilt is simple poor quality wood. The blade is finished ... There is nothing except maybe the scrap silver to recover ... The Qiba'a is totally rotten ...Just after I stop writing you should imagine the clunk! as this one hits the garbage drum... !!

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

The silver pin use on Hilts. Clearly the preference is silver pins since that gives great beauty to the hilt and added weight. It is used on all hilts but the tendency is for anything other than compound plastic or Rhino to split. Rhino is hugely expensive and the work to pin these is not cheap ...In my view this effect is deliberate in an attempt to mirror the bunched or spaghetti ends of Rhino and confirms my view that this weapon is much closely linked to that animal than previously considered. Added to this it is noted that the blade is shaped like a Rhino Horn and in studying the scabbard it too has a deliberate accent to the horn ...exaggerated in fact.
Here we see the superb pinning effect on a Hilt. With it I place the hilt from #221 above to observe the pattern in the Rhino horn material which the pins seem to be reflecting.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

On Elephant Ivory which is banned for export and in keeping with current restrictions not allowed except if old reused items..e.g.recycled hilts.. The pattern is common on Ivory Hilts and in fact difficult at first to imagine these are different daggers... but they are !!

On examination the decoration in the hilts follow split palmettes or heart shapes and repeat use of the mulberry fruit cluster in 3 or 6 configuration (not cannon balls!) The top of the hilt may also be said to have a bull horn pattern.

Here are Ivory Hilts.