Rings on Yemeni jambiya: what for?

ariel · 28th April 2014, 03:46 PM

AFAIK, Yemeni jambiyas are worn under the belt, kind of "tucked in"
However, many scabbards have little rings at the back of the scabbard? What are they for? Are Yemeni scabbards sewn to the belt through them?
If so, why at the back? Wouldn't front of the scabbard be more logical?

Furthermore: here is a pic of the late Jordanian king Abdulla: his bodyguard on the left ( and, perhaps, even the one on the right) wera their Jambiyas outside the belt. Using the little rings? Any ethnic preferences? Any other thoughts?

A.alnakkas · 28th April 2014, 07:08 PM

Hey Ariel,

These are worn outside the belt with leather through the rings and inside the belt. The examples of ones tucked behind the belt I saw are new marriages mostly.

A.alnakkas · 28th April 2014, 07:10 PM

Picture with the black background shows a touristy khanjar so the rings are not right.

ariel · 28th April 2014, 10:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

Hey Ariel,

These are worn outside the belt with leather through the rings and inside the belt. The examples of ones tucked behind the belt I saw are new marriages mostly.

Thanks.
But I am still confused: all jambiyas shown in the S. Gracie's book are tucked behind the belt and there are no visible retaining cords/ straps.
Furthermore, most jambiyas on Artzi's site have no little rings.

If what you are saying is correct ( some worn inside, some outside), is there a tribal/social class/ ethnic distinction between them? I can imagine the way to secure these "ring-y" jambiyas outside the belt, but IMHO, the only way to do it would be to wear them vertically, i.e. Manassib-style. How would it influence the Thouma jambiyas?

Jim McDougall · 29th April 2014, 12:51 AM

I found an article, "Daggers: From Fearsome Weapon to Fashion Statement" by Shilpa Mathai, ('Gulf News.com, December 28,2000) in which the author notes, "...the mark of a good sheath are its inlaid silver rings, the maximum is seven rings of which two are used to hold the belt, and five through which strands of thread are woven as ornamentation". It is further stated that there is no special significance to the number of rings on a khanjar and this depends on personal preference. The rings are expensive and usually the more wealthy would wear the maximum number of rings according to the author, so apparently these would be more status oriented.

It seems that the minimum number would be two, as these seem to be structurally situated, but others have four and six rings, with the seven typically to examples of the higher degree and of the 'tuza' category for aristocrats and important tribal figures such as chieftains.

I have often wondered about the significance symbolically of certain design features on hilts as well, and it seems on certain Islamic swords there are numbered strings of beads, but cannot recall significance.

I don't think this answers the question which concerns placement on the scabbard in the back or method of properly wearing these, but the information seemed pertinent anyway.

ariel · 29th April 2014, 04:32 AM

I looked again at Gracie's book. And... I think I might have found the answer:-)

If one looks very,very carefully, many jambiyas worn behind the belt seem to have a set of sturdy staples or even rivets at the junction along the side of the scabbard, implying metal rings underneath the belt. If so, they just created a single piece: belt/scabbard that was worn together as one unit. That assured firm fixation of the scabbard behind the belt and prevented jambiya from being lost. An interesting thing, is that the same feature is present on the belt/scabbard unit dated 1707. So, it is not the feature of the new jambiyas. Perhaps, vice versa, - the old ones.

Still, the last one in my series is puzzling: the rings just stick out behind the scabbard. What were they attached to?

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 29th April 2014, 07:23 AM

Salaams~ Rings on Yemeni and Omani weapons are unrelated. On the former the rings appear as anchor points tie down points onto the belt but on the Omani Khanjar they are huge , frontal and part of the architecture and structure of the scabbard... and may be 4 ringer, two ringer or 7 ringers... In fact the odd variant appears with more than the usual 7 ring maximum on occasions. The Royal Khanjar with 7 rings was redesigned from essentially the 7 ring Muscat Khanjar but beefed up with an Indian style Hilt by Sheherazad the Persian wife of a previous Sultan see.. The Omani Khanjar.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 9th May 2014, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariel

AFAIK, Yemeni jambiyas are worn under the belt, kind of "tucked in"
However, many scabbards have little rings at the back of the scabbard? What are they for? Are Yemeni scabbards sewn to the belt through them?
If so, why at the back? Wouldn't front of the scabbard be more logical?

Furthermore: here is a pic of the late Jordanian king Abdulla: his bodyguard on the left ( and, perhaps, even the one on the right) wera their Jambiyas outside the belt. Using the little rings? Any ethnic preferences? Any other thoughts?

Salaams Ariel~So far as I can see you have sorted the rings out...Omani Khanjars don't have these peculiar rings except in the case of the weapons shown which are Jebali Salalah variety very closely aligned to the Yemeni form. You can see that when the belt is tightened around the waist that the top weapon lies flat as opposed to vertically. The rings in this case are decorated florally..and function as ties to the two section belt.

Another picture is shown below and at http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...8&page=5&pp=30 at #127 with it configured on an Omani style belt showing the 3 rings reduced to two on each side and somewhat redundant.. The weapon has apparently been fully retro fitted with the mid-scabbard Khanjar style of silver belt wired to big support rings. In the case of the small rings you are analysing it seems the position is variable but is determined by how the weapon sits with the belt....flat or more upright.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

kahnjar1 · 9th May 2014, 08:31 PM

I agree with Ibrahiim's comment regarding placement of the anchor rings. They always seem to be in the position suited to the way a particular style of Jambiya is worn on the belt.
Just a comment regarding the pic of Richard's showing the way Thouma Jambiya from Yemen are attached. This style in my experience does NOT have rings but is attached as shown by lacing to the back covering of the scabbard.
I have attached a few pics of different styles of Jambiya WITH rings showing how they sit on their particular belts. I note that even though these all have attachment rings, they do not all use them. Some as you can see use a strap across the scabbard even though rings are present.
Stu

29th April 2014, 04:32 AM	#6
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	I looked again at Gracie's book. And... I think I might have found the answer:-) If one looks very,very carefully, many jambiyas worn behind the belt seem to have a set of sturdy staples or even rivets at the junction along the side of the scabbard, implying metal rings underneath the belt. If so, they just created a single piece: belt/scabbard that was worn together as one unit. That assured firm fixation of the scabbard behind the belt and prevented jambiya from being lost. An interesting thing, is that the same feature is present on the belt/scabbard unit dated 1707. So, it is not the feature of the new jambiyas. Perhaps, vice versa, - the old ones. Still, the last one in my series is puzzling: the rings just stick out behind the scabbard. What were they attached to? Last edited by ariel; 29th April 2014 at 12:55 PM.

9th May 2014, 08:31 PM	#9
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,729	I agree with Ibrahiim's comment regarding placement of the anchor rings. They always seem to be in the position suited to the way a particular style of Jambiya is worn on the belt. Just a comment regarding the pic of Richard's showing the way Thouma Jambiya from Yemen are attached. This style in my experience does NOT have rings but is attached as shown by lacing to the back covering of the scabbard. I have attached a few pics of different styles of Jambiya WITH rings showing how they sit on their particular belts. I note that even though these all have attachment rings, they do not all use them. Some as you can see use a strap across the scabbard even though rings are present. Stu Attached Images Last edited by kahnjar1; 9th May 2014 at 08:42 PM.

28th April 2014, 03:46 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Rings on Yemeni jambiya: what for? AFAIK, Yemeni jambiyas are worn under the belt, kind of "tucked in" However, many scabbards have little rings at the back of the scabbard? What are they for? Are Yemeni scabbards sewn to the belt through them? If so, why at the back? Wouldn't front of the scabbard be more logical? Furthermore: here is a pic of the late Jordanian king Abdulla: his bodyguard on the left ( and, perhaps, even the one on the right) wera their Jambiyas outside the belt. Using the little rings? Any ethnic preferences? Any other thoughts? Attached Images

28th April 2014, 07:08 PM	#2
A.alnakkas Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Kuwait Posts: 1,338	Hey Ariel, These are worn outside the belt with leather through the rings and inside the belt. The examples of ones tucked behind the belt I saw are new marriages mostly.

28th April 2014, 07:10 PM	#3
A.alnakkas Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Kuwait Posts: 1,338	Picture with the black background shows a touristy khanjar so the rings are not right.

29th April 2014, 12:51 AM	#5
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,748	I found an article, "Daggers: From Fearsome Weapon to Fashion Statement" by Shilpa Mathai, ('Gulf News.com, December 28,2000) in which the author notes, "...the mark of a good sheath are its inlaid silver rings, the maximum is seven rings of which two are used to hold the belt, and five through which strands of thread are woven as ornamentation". It is further stated that there is no special significance to the number of rings on a khanjar and this depends on personal preference. The rings are expensive and usually the more wealthy would wear the maximum number of rings according to the author, so apparently these would be more status oriented. It seems that the minimum number would be two, as these seem to be structurally situated, but others have four and six rings, with the seven typically to examples of the higher degree and of the 'tuza' category for aristocrats and important tribal figures such as chieftains. I have often wondered about the significance symbolically of certain design features on hilts as well, and it seems on certain Islamic swords there are numbered strings of beads, but cannot recall significance. I don't think this answers the question which concerns placement on the scabbard in the back or method of properly wearing these, but the information seemed pertinent anyway.

29th April 2014, 07:23 AM	#7
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Salaams~ Rings on Yemeni and Omani weapons are unrelated. On the former the rings appear as anchor points tie down points onto the belt but on the Omani Khanjar they are huge , frontal and part of the architecture and structure of the scabbard... and may be 4 ringer, two ringer or 7 ringers... In fact the odd variant appears with more than the usual 7 ring maximum on occasions. The Royal Khanjar with 7 rings was redesigned from essentially the 7 ring Muscat Khanjar but beefed up with an Indian style Hilt by Sheherazad the Persian wife of a previous Sultan see.. The Omani Khanjar. Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi.