The Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Focusing on a little Ethnographics ...The Funun is the set of Traditions played out in Oman in dance music poetry and singing in a form of pantomime to rhythm and often an ancient musical score . In fact this entire set of Genres was the means by which traditional performance passed these performances down the generations so that in researching weapons the Sword or Khanjar dances can be traced far into the past. Please see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87h_...rt_radio=1#t=1 for the Bara'a The Khanjar Dance

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Focusing on a little Ethnographics ...The Funun is the set of Traditions played out in Oman in dance music poetry and singing in a form of pantomime to rhythm and often an ancient musical score . In fact this entire set of Genres was the means by which traditional performance passed these performances down the generations so that in researching weapons the Sword or Khanjar dances can be traced far into the past. Please see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87h_...rt_radio=1#t=1 for the Bara'a The Khanjar Dance

Thank you so much for adding this visual look into these important traditional events, in which the weaponry is so much an integral part. These have long been overlooked in the study of Omani arms, which in itself has only ever had a brief inclusion in the study of the arms of Arabia.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Thanks Jim, The Funun is almost completely overlooked in appreciating Omani weapons . The key is that here are the passed down enacted Traditions some beginning at the outset of the religion here. The weapons Genres are vital in our understanding of their place in Omani history and point to their use in the socio religious reason for their use and development. No study of Omani weapons can take place without looking at The Funun.

Below is rather an odd one out since it appears in Salalah in Southern Oman …(Dhofar) where it is worn by Jebali mountain tribesmen. This weapon is the same essentially to what their distant cousins wear in close by regions of Yemen...What is also peculiar is that the same weapon crops up in the OMANI Wahiba desert in North East Oman. In this case the hilt is the now well known (on these pages) use of Giraffe Horn (now endangered) from African sources called in Omani Arabic zraf hindi. Typically worn on a simple narrow leather belt.

In Salalah they call it al Genoobi and in the Sharqiyya al Hanshiah. for further detail see http://khanjar.om/Parts.html and look under TYPES.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

This example looks lethal... and something about the slender hilt makes it look dangerous ..It has two new studs and pin decorations surrounding and is in fact Rhino and looking at the wear on the hilt it is old..So zraf afrique it is...and with a new cuff. The scabbard is non existent thus it seems this old dagger is looking for a match...This style could be a degraded Royal Khanjar hilt with all the silver stripped off or... possibly this two star design is called as shams, which means sun, and this kind of handle is locally known as the Al Sifani handle. This type of handle named after the Bani Saif family or Omani tribes in Ash Sharqiah governorate. This family was well known for this type of handle according to the Omani khanjar makers.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

The incidence of double or trebble dagger and only one scabbard are increasing so the owner can change his preferred dagger to suit.. The weapon suddenly becomes a Royal Khanjar ... I don't like it, however, as there's too much silver plate work on the Royal Khanjar in my opinion and there are missing pins and a stud on the left hand dagger type... they are both too shiny for my liking … but that is often the case with new silver.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Here a good well made geometric pattern throughout and well designed reflections in silver stitched leather below the belt accurately drawn and executed... In the split palmette style but with clever and artistic interpretation throughout.( PERHAPS A HINT OF MAGIC SQUARES ) Hilt in African Giraffe Horn ...Zraf Hindi. Unusually at the cuff is the ancient VVVVVVV pattern also seen on some of the cuffs of the battle swords Sayf Yamaani. The Qoba (crown) is given quite delicate treatment here with artistic decoration in the same material as the rest of the weapon... new silver ...which will develop a Patina very quickly.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

The use of gold coloured cord to wrap the lower scabbard in a typical rendition of the Royal Khanjar ... You may recall that the Royal khanjar is designated by the hilt (only) change made in about 1830 /40 by Sheherazad one of the wives of Saiid the Great... Thus not constrained by the number of rings in the scabbard it can have 4 or 7 rings... Cloth belt antique examples can be seen at the excellent rendition on http://omanisilver.com/