The Omani Khanjar

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 1st December 2017, 06:09 PM

In Oman the souks are aimed directly at visitors looking to spend a small modest sum for example on a souvenir Khanjar thus the majority of weapons are less expensive cow horn or plastic compound hilts. If you are in the market for an expensive Khanjar the shop owner will have a few specials ..let him know... but expect a price to reflect the much higher quality.. Here is a typical spread of souk Khanjars~

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 1st December 2017, 06:52 PM

This deceptive hilt looks like old cow horn but its Rhino..Many hilts are recovered from old khanjars and the shape with a narrow pommel like this is often the give away as from a Royal Hilt..Shining a powerful pen torch into the fibres is the best test..Rhino illuminates to show itself but cow horn is usually dull.

DavidE · 16th January 2018, 06:55 PM

Thank you Ibrahiim for the terrific posts!

I have a small sword and dagger collection, but know very little about the Khanjar and other Omani weapons. However, I am in Oman now and just purchased a Khanjar from one of the shops in the Nizwa souq. I looked around a good bit and found an older one that I felt was higher quality than most I had seen, of course with a higher price to match! The old man I bought it from spoke hardly any English, and since I don't speak Arabic I wasn't able to get much information from him about this Khanjar. Whatever you might be able to let me know about it would be much appreciated! I have attached a few images. Thank you!

David

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 2nd November 2018, 10:06 AM

See http://khanjar.om/Parts.html
See 87, 119 and 240 on this thread for comparisons relevant to post below.

This is an interesting Khanjar with a likely replaced hilt which may be old Rhino … I cant make out the material so it could be horn or wood. Get a powerful light and shine it into the hilt at close range and see if it lights up...This thread has examples on it of what I mean.

I see evidence on the hilt of more pins which have gone. Its old...but the silver work is very nice. This is Nizwa Khanjar and carries distinctive patterns from there and the little shield covers over the rings are typical for Nizwa. The pattern on the scabbard is split palmette stitched in silver on leather.

The blade is interesting and with 4 dots it is rare. I see 3 dots occasionally but the 4 dot is nice to see and is likely talismanic as it presents the lucky 3 dot configuration up and down the blade simultaneously.. It is doubly powerful as it is on both sides of the blade. The material in the dots is likely to be brass often used to substitute for gold which would be considered; over the top …

Tatyana Dianova · 5th November 2018, 08:33 PM

Hello Ibrahiim,
Thank you for the great thread which I read again and again when getting a new piece!
Last time although I have got an old Khanjar which is different to all the examples you have shown. Do you have any idea which region does it come from?

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 6th November 2018, 12:23 PM

This is a remarkable Omani Khanjar of quite some age which if it is what I think it is may be one of the oldest I have seen to date perhaps from the al Busayyidi dynasty of Saiid bin Sultan who ruled 1804 to 1856 and who died on board a warship off Zanzibar .. a country he absorbed as part of Oman ..in fact he made it the capital through Stonetown Zanzibar and vastly important as a herb growing, slavery and centre and hub of the trade in Ivory and Rhino and other commodities...

One of his wives designed a Khanjar known as The Busaidi Dagger but before that there was a dagger quite similar ...I think this style with its seven rings and straight T shaped hilt (this one is broken unequally on both ears so it looked different in its younger days.) Post 1 looks at these Royal Busaidi weapons . The Richardson and Dorr has a similar weapon to this which I will dig out later.

Thus actually the Muscat Dagger had a T shaped hilt normal across much of Oman and carried 7 rings which Sheherezad copied onto the Royal item and with a very Indian design lavish and highly decorated hilt. It was the Hilt which she brought to the design for the Royal Khanjar the 7 rings were already here...on the Muscat item... Interestingly this weapon carries 5 inner rings of silver and two outer rings of what looks like copper or brass... I have no idea why but there is on this weapon a really important play with the geometric figure 5...which I will cover here..

5 is very lucky as a Talismanic figure in many cultures... In Oman it is related to the hand of Fatimah (the five fingers of) and here unlike in say Morrocco where an actual hand is fashioned in their jewellery it is represented by a geometric form like a figure 5 in dominos . This is often the décor on lucky charm boxes (Hirz) worn as a neck pendant.
See your last picture ...above the rings the section with figure 5s starting with a big silver dot in the centre there are many exploding figure 5 geometries working outwards ...They are hand of Fatimah 5s. Along the base of the shabak or triangular net construction are 5 silver additions . I note also that the Rings are also 5 in number on the inner belt...and other 5 geometries in the lower section .

The blade is very old going by the wear and like other parts of any khanjar could be from an even earlier weapon...To the back of the hilt is a strengthener of a style I have never seen; probably fashioned to save the hilt from disintegrating... It may have cracked I cannot tell...but a fixing like this probably means the hilt was an heirloom and the owner wanted it kept together as such. The material looks like Rhino.

See 165 for similar outer rings on a Royal Khanjar but one extra point Your Khanjar has very peculiar fixings reflected in the Quba at the end of these 7 dot flowers . The fixings between the rings follow this pattern. Please see 168 for similar fixings between the rings. 168 is the dagger from the Richardson and Dorr I was talking about earlier... This to my eye pinpoints the weapon much more clearly as described.

There is discussion here as to whether it is from the Sharqiyyah or has Yemeni style in its silver work and so on but to me it follows the structure and description of The Muscat Khanjar.

Tatyana Dianova · 7th November 2018, 07:47 AM

Hello Ibrahiim,
Thank you for the great and interesting analysis! I hope this example will help your research!

ALEX · 10th January 2019, 07:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

This deceptive hilt looks like old cow horn but its Rhino..Many hilts are recovered from old khanjars and the shape with a narrow pommel like this is often the give away as from a Royal Hilt..Shining a powerful pen torch into the fibres is the best test..Rhino illuminates to show itself but cow horn is usually dull.

Hello Ibrahiim,
I posted a new thread HERE .
Your post referenced my questions so well, unfortunately I saw it after posting mine.
The hilt on my new Jambiya looks older to the rest. Could it be one of those "recovered" hilts. Does it look like one? The weak flashlight I used did not illuminate the hilt and showed almost no translucency, so I think it is a regular horn. What do you think of it based on the look and the fibrous structure?
Thanks again

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 10th January 2019, 11:09 PM

JUST TO ADD A FEW MORE KHANJARS AS EXAMPLES ~ and an interesting observation in that the main tool set in all decorating techniques on the Omani Khanjar has always been a little hammer and a nail..I note that old masters in the art of copper and brass plate decorating in Palestine used the same technique.

1st December 2017, 06:09 PM	#1
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	In Oman the souks are aimed directly at visitors looking to spend a small modest sum for example on a souvenir Khanjar thus the majority of weapons are less expensive cow horn or plastic compound hilts. If you are in the market for an expensive Khanjar the shop owner will have a few specials ..let him know... but expect a price to reflect the much higher quality.. Here is a typical spread of souk Khanjars~ Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 1st December 2017 at 06:55 PM.

1st December 2017, 06:52 PM	#2
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	This deceptive hilt looks like old cow horn but its Rhino..Many hilts are recovered from old khanjars and the shape with a narrow pommel like this is often the give away as from a Royal Hilt..Shining a powerful pen torch into the fibres is the best test..Rhino illuminates to show itself but cow horn is usually dull. Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 2nd December 2017 at 03:29 PM.

16th January 2018, 06:55 PM	#3
DavidE Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Posts: 7	Thank you Ibrahiim for the terrific posts! I have a small sword and dagger collection, but know very little about the Khanjar and other Omani weapons. However, I am in Oman now and just purchased a Khanjar from one of the shops in the Nizwa souq. I looked around a good bit and found an older one that I felt was higher quality than most I had seen, of course with a higher price to match! The old man I bought it from spoke hardly any English, and since I don't speak Arabic I wasn't able to get much information from him about this Khanjar. Whatever you might be able to let me know about it would be much appreciated! I have attached a few images. Thank you! David Attached Images

2nd November 2018, 10:06 AM	#4
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	See http://khanjar.om/Parts.html See 87, 119 and 240 on this thread for comparisons relevant to post below. This is an interesting Khanjar with a likely replaced hilt which may be old Rhino … I cant make out the material so it could be horn or wood. Get a powerful light and shine it into the hilt at close range and see if it lights up...This thread has examples on it of what I mean. I see evidence on the hilt of more pins which have gone. Its old...but the silver work is very nice. This is Nizwa Khanjar and carries distinctive patterns from there and the little shield covers over the rings are typical for Nizwa. The pattern on the scabbard is split palmette stitched in silver on leather. The blade is interesting and with 4 dots it is rare. I see 3 dots occasionally but the 4 dot is nice to see and is likely talismanic as it presents the lucky 3 dot configuration up and down the blade simultaneously.. It is doubly powerful as it is on both sides of the blade. The material in the dots is likely to be brass often used to substitute for gold which would be considered; over the top … Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 2nd November 2018 at 10:31 AM.

5th November 2018, 08:33 PM	#5
Tatyana Dianova Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 678	Hello Ibrahiim, Thank you for the great thread which I read again and again when getting a new piece! Last time although I have got an old Khanjar which is different to all the examples you have shown. Do you have any idea which region does it come from? Attached Images

6th November 2018, 12:23 PM	#6
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	This is a remarkable Omani Khanjar of quite some age which if it is what I think it is may be one of the oldest I have seen to date perhaps from the al Busayyidi dynasty of Saiid bin Sultan who ruled 1804 to 1856 and who died on board a warship off Zanzibar .. a country he absorbed as part of Oman ..in fact he made it the capital through Stonetown Zanzibar and vastly important as a herb growing, slavery and centre and hub of the trade in Ivory and Rhino and other commodities... One of his wives designed a Khanjar known as The Busaidi Dagger but before that there was a dagger quite similar ...I think this style with its seven rings and straight T shaped hilt (this one is broken unequally on both ears so it looked different in its younger days.) Post 1 looks at these Royal Busaidi weapons . The Richardson and Dorr has a similar weapon to this which I will dig out later. Thus actually the Muscat Dagger had a T shaped hilt normal across much of Oman and carried 7 rings which Sheherezad copied onto the Royal item and with a very Indian design lavish and highly decorated hilt. It was the Hilt which she brought to the design for the Royal Khanjar the 7 rings were already here...on the Muscat item... Interestingly this weapon carries 5 inner rings of silver and two outer rings of what looks like copper or brass... I have no idea why but there is on this weapon a really important play with the geometric figure 5...which I will cover here.. 5 is very lucky as a Talismanic figure in many cultures... In Oman it is related to the hand of Fatimah (the five fingers of) and here unlike in say Morrocco where an actual hand is fashioned in their jewellery it is represented by a geometric form like a figure 5 in dominos . This is often the décor on lucky charm boxes (Hirz) worn as a neck pendant. See your last picture ...above the rings the section with figure 5s starting with a big silver dot in the centre there are many exploding figure 5 geometries working outwards ...They are hand of Fatimah 5s. Along the base of the shabak or triangular net construction are 5 silver additions . I note also that the Rings are also 5 in number on the inner belt...and other 5 geometries in the lower section . The blade is very old going by the wear and like other parts of any khanjar could be from an even earlier weapon...To the back of the hilt is a strengthener of a style I have never seen; probably fashioned to save the hilt from disintegrating... It may have cracked I cannot tell...but a fixing like this probably means the hilt was an heirloom and the owner wanted it kept together as such. The material looks like Rhino. See 165 for similar outer rings on a Royal Khanjar but one extra point Your Khanjar has very peculiar fixings reflected in the Quba at the end of these 7 dot flowers . The fixings between the rings follow this pattern. Please see 168 for similar fixings between the rings. 168 is the dagger from the Richardson and Dorr I was talking about earlier... This to my eye pinpoints the weapon much more clearly as described. There is discussion here as to whether it is from the Sharqiyyah or has Yemeni style in its silver work and so on but to me it follows the structure and description of The Muscat Khanjar. Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 6th November 2018 at 12:53 PM.

7th November 2018, 07:47 AM	#7
Tatyana Dianova Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 678	Hello Ibrahiim, Thank you for the great and interesting analysis! I hope this example will help your research!

10th January 2019, 11:09 PM	#9
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	JUST TO ADD A FEW MORE KHANJARS AS EXAMPLES ~ and an interesting observation in that the main tool set in all decorating techniques on the Omani Khanjar has always been a little hammer and a nail..I note that old masters in the art of copper and brass plate decorating in Palestine used the same technique. Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 10th January 2019 at 11:24 PM.