The Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Most peculiar. This Khanjar above has been seriously meddled with ...With more than 10 rings it is most odd... Usually 7 rings is the maximum but I have seen 8 or 9... The other unusual thing is the crown which is huge. A very un Omani like belt section with strange modernish architecture throws a further spanner into the works and almost no decoration to the dagger and no decoration below the belt...is puzzling coupled with the general demeanor of a very non Omani looking Khanjar.
My thought~ This isn't Omani. I did toy with Al Wustah but I think it is from the Abha region in what is now Saudia and was in Yemen before about 1923.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

I think the give away on the Khanjar above is the crown which is bulbous and seemingly oversized which is the fashion on Khanjars / Jambia in the Asir region of what was Yemen pre 1923 and is now part of Saudia Arabia. Omani people call this style ahbaabi or "of Abha". They are discussed on Library...at ~

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=flower+tribe

These Abha weapons are very very similar to Al Wustah Omani Khanjars and I have to say that Omani Silver.com which is an excellent reference site ...thinks they are Omani whereas I do not. They consider the flower stamp to be from Oman and although I think they are linked historically since the main port in the Wustah region is Sur and it was a stepping stone Port to the Asir region and on the route to Zanzibar and back...which is probably how the style was exported and froze in that region and was thereafter produced there with minute changes to detail and inscriptions added etc...That is in my view how it happened but if I am wrong I will immediately consider altering my notes! but not for now.

Here are examples of the bulbous crown of Abha styles below~

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Back to Omani Khanjar Style.

Here is a slightly smaller Khanjar probably from Sur. Of note is the work knife (sikeen) tucked behind the main dagger and the small silvered leather wallet for a few coins. The Hilt is particularly attractive with two flowers and a central band as well as silver pins hammered into the Rhino Hilt.

This is a National Museum Exhibit.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Sinaw souk in the Sharqiyyah...Oman.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

One of the best blades (Naslah) I have seen in a long time. This is Omani made.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Since we are taking apart the Omani Khanjar in this page I would like to put up for interest some more pieces... The Hilt for example ... Comments welcome of course..
The single Rhino hilt held to a strong light becomes translucent ....You can spot Rhino hilts a long way off as they are invariably covered in a myriad of silver pins. On cow horn such a load of pins would split the poorer quality bone especially at the top right and left corners which I will show in the next post... In my view the pins reflect the rhino horn effect as it is seen from the top of the hilt ...sometimes called stacked spaghetti by collectors...

The three blades below are from Salalah freshly paired with hilts and the interesting dotted blade in the centre is favourite...perhaps showing evil spirits three dots in either direction on both sides of the blade and on each of the two segments of the joined blade ...i.e. either side of the central ridge...

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Here is a hilt showing how it can errode at either end of the T shaped hilt when cow horn is used with silver pins...More common with cow horn is a shaped silver plate covering much of the front of the hilt.