The Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

The silver pin use on Hilts. Clearly the preference is silver pins since that gives great beauty to the hilt and added weight. It is used on all hilts but the tendency is for anything other than compound plastic or Rhino to split. Rhino is hugely expensive and the work to pin these is not cheap ...In my view this effect is deliberate in an attempt to mirror the bunched or spaghetti ends of Rhino and confirms my view that this weapon is much closely linked to that animal than previously considered. Added to this it is noted that the blade is shaped like a Rhino Horn and in studying the scabbard it too has a deliberate accent to the horn ...exaggerated in fact.
Here we see the superb pinning effect on a Hilt. With it I place the hilt from #221 above to observe the pattern in the Rhino horn material which the pins seem to be reflecting.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

On Elephant Ivory which is banned for export and in keeping with current restrictions not allowed except if old reused items..e.g.recycled hilts.. The pattern is common on Ivory Hilts and in fact difficult at first to imagine these are different daggers... but they are !!

On examination the decoration in the hilts follow split palmettes or heart shapes and repeat use of the mulberry fruit cluster in 3 or 6 configuration (not cannon balls!) The top of the hilt may also be said to have a bull horn pattern.

Here are Ivory Hilts.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

The region of the Omani Dhakiliyyah (The Interior) is next to the UAE thus the Khanjar style is very similar. I have a few weapons from the UAE here. Note the high degree of leather showing below the belt section and often the use of a quite distinctive woven cloth belt also marks the Khanjar as of The UAE. The most obvious marker on UAE khanjars is the Chevron inner two belt rings however, not all have these...There is one below with a beautiful UAE belt and another exists at #224. Occasionally the Emblem of the UAE ~ A Falcon ..may be included in the design from its origin in 1973 as in the rusted blade scabbard below.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

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]

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]

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]

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 …

[ALEX]

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]

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.