Marsh Arab (Iraqi)? Jambiya

[A.alnakkas]

Originally Posted by Lee

nakkas, I think Nasser had a right to be proud of his work on this piece, though some of the excellent detail may be a result of a larger 'canvas.' I have attached a zoom into one of the pictures above with a bit of contrast enhancement to show the wootz pattern. Considering the quality of the blade, do you think this dagger was made for local use or is it from the higher end of the items made for travelers?

I wouldnt call these 'tourist' items. While some have flimsy blades, the quality of the silver work is respect worthy. Also, both this type and the Marsh Arab type was used locally.

An interesting thing too I remember Steve Gracie's Jambiya book mentioning an Iraqi silvermaker working in Yemen, his pieces also use the river scene but on Yemeni style jambiyas.