Wahabbi Jambiya

[Michael Blalock]

Here is a video of a yemen battle charge, albeit staged for the camera. The jambiyas are all held in the same fashion as they are in the dances,(further in the video) with the concave edge forward. I never saw a sharp yemeni jambiya though and I would wager most of these warriors' jambiyas had blades made of welded sheet metal. If it really came to using the jambiya, there would most likely be no slicing, only stabbing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEzXLpwGPB0

dancing

[kahnjar1]

These particular Jambiya are called SABAK in the HIJAZ region and SABIKI in the ASIR region. The Wahhabis (after whom this particular type of Jambiya is popularly named) were just one of the many tribes who inhabit(ed) the Arabian Peninsula, and certainly were not the only tribes who used this type.
A few pics attached of these jambiya.

[Emanuel]

Since I first read "sabiki" in Elgood I wondered about the root of this word. In Polish "sablje" means sword, and this word has been adopted in French and English as "sabre" and even Romanian as "sabie". Of course it could very well be coincidence, but I wonder...

Can anyone enlighten the roots of these two words?

[Michael Blalock]

This is just speculation but;:

SBK is the root for foundry سبك
and masbak= Place of foundry مسبك

So maybe, sabiky = Of the foundry? سبكي
Though I did not find this in a dictionary.

[Emanuel]

Thanks Micheal.

A bit of research on my part shows that the slavic word sablje comes from Hungarian "szablya" itself supposedly derived from the verb "szab" = to taylor.
Perhaps "tayloring" and metal casting have some connection?

One taylors garments to fit their user, as one taylors metal parts to fit an assembly and match its user.

A bit of a stretch, I know...

[Lew]

Manolo

I think we are stretching it here with the Slavic translation for taylor?


Lew

[Battara]

You guys sure are punny!