Salaams all ..Another Khanjar example from the Omani Coastal Belt (The Baatina) with an unusual clasp setup securing belt to Khanjar illustrating tree of life designs. Quality translucent bull or cow horn hilt with silver pins. :shrug:
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams all ~ Apparently the best tobacco is grown locally and the top stuff is from the Omani Baatinah Coast ~ from Shinas. It is purchased in empty water bottles. Lighting and smoking is done in one hit... and would revive the dead (or knock out a horse!) Strong stuff !!
Here is another style of tobacco container; this time all silver. The second picture is the Mukhallah or Kohl (antimony paste) container and eye applicator..worn on a chain on the Khanjar or Gun belt. This one taken from the design of the 303 blackpowder Enfield bullet and case. Oddly all screw mechanisms on traditional silver worked lids are counterscrew (opposite direction to those in the west.)
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams ~ Note to Forum. Adding to the flotilla of Omani Khanjars ~

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Notes;
1. Number 1 was described with a woft of the hand as from the Sharqiyyah Eastern Oman probably Sennau. An unusual chequered style.

2. Number 2 is a Jebali dagger from Salalah.( a slightly mismatched dagger and scabbard.)

3. Number 3 is a 4 ringer of Baatina style with bedouin eyes below the belt section but with the Saidiyya (Al Busaidi dynasty hilt ~ the one designed by the wife of Said Sultan around 1840ish ~ Sheherezad).

4. Number 4 is a new Saidiyyah 7 ringer with gold adornment and a working dagger behind..

5. Number 5 and 6 is completely unusual. This dagger is actually from Kassab in the Mussandam. I met the chap who made it. He copied it from one given him by his grandfather. It has the look of a Muscat Khanjar of Tee shaped hilt with what appears to be 7 rings plus a ring. It has an odd semi precious stone added. This is a very rare animal.

Number 2 above is described by Steve Gracie in his book Jambiya Daggers from the Souks of Yemen (Page 149), as "A MADD JAMBIYA" from Lahej region of Yemen. Also on Page 148 there is a photograph dated 1920 of a Yaffa tribesman wearing one of these.
IMHO it shows none of the usual traits of Omani origins.

Salaams kahnjar1 ~Take a walk through the souk in Salalah and see how many Jebalis are wearing these. Its only 100 kilometres from Salalah to the Yemen border and "straddling it" are several Jebali tribes. This dagger style flows both ways. The silver work is Salalah. I spent 6 years there ... 4 of which were in the mountains and on the border. I saw lots of Jebalis wearing these ~every day. Believe me this one is a Salalah (regional ) Jebali dagger. Knowing the region I asked the shop owner where this one was from to confirm it was Dhofari not Yemeni...He said Salalah. He's "al Balooshi" as well ... and has the Mutrah shop.

Separating the two forms is probably impossible without having each of the owners standing in front of you as they are virtually identical people and it would be very difficult to separate the two marks. The two forms are, thus, probably one..and though I don't have the local name to hand it wouldn't surprise me if it was similar.

Origin of ethnographic species is often linked to items and it is easy to see how the run down degraded old Yemeni water works called The Mehrib Dam that finally collapsed in about the 6th Century AD brought with it through the 3rd to 6th Centuries a massive exodus from Yemen to Oman. With that must have traversed many artifact styles and probably craftsmen.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams again on the same subject ~ Page 417 in The Craft Heritage of Oman by Neil Richardson and Marcia Dorr (An Omani Heritage Documentation Project) refers with a picture and a small description with its name Quote "The style of the Dhofara dagger (Khanjar qabiliyyah) has similarities to both the Yemeni janbiyyah and the khanjar of northern Oman".Unquote.
For research purposes I add the picture below.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams all~ Note to forum.

The decline in ethnic artefacts stretches up and down the entire spectrum of antiques collecting. Regarding Arabian Daggers, Swords and to a large extent old and antique arabian items it is, however, a different situation to that which exists in the west and one which the ethnographic community ought to be aware;

Arab men wear Khanjars and Jambia with pride. The item may be regarded as a badge of office and head of the family. There may well be the occasional person who owns an old dagger but generally the demand is still high for new ones.

At the same time daggers do deteriorate and fall apart or because of neglect fall into complete almost abandoned ruin. They are however cleverly constructed so for example should a new blade be required (or hilt, scabbard, belt, rings etc etc ) it is an easy enough job to fit replacements. Silver because it is oxidising constantly produces a fast acting patina and a brand new silver item can look much older after 5 to 10 years of normal use.

What is apparent is the difficulty for some to realise the nature of antiquity in Arabia. Oman for example was in the dark ages for many centuries and really didn't get going properly in the modern world sense until 1970. Until the advent of oil in other Arab countries the same situation applied, consequently, what people in the west consider as old, ancient, tribal and ethnograhic are still in vogue here. The idea that something is old fashioned and must be disguarded for the modern equivalent took much longer to happen here... and in some remote areas it hasn't happened at all !

Something else, however, happened with traditional weapons.. They were iconised. In Oman, for example, the Khanjar and the Sword are virtually symbols of the country... THEY ARE ITS LOGO. As the late Antony North pointed out in his brilliant book on Islamic Arms and Armour once a system had survived as tried and tested..or trusted ...they didn't change. Thus we have ethnographic weapons, now iconised, that were used for centuries and retained whilst other countries disguarded, modernised and researched new and inovative ideas. In Oman if it worked they didnt change it... Simple?

Thus in Oman there are silversmiths using the same designs and in many cases the same tools with the exception perhaps of a blow lamp and light from an electric bulb ! working in the same way they did centuries ago. High on their list of products are Omani Jewellery and of course Omani Khanjars etc

The other failure I have observed is on the subject of new and or restored items ; Arab men want new Khanjars. The demand is high. A few purchase older items but in their collection of 3 or 4 Khanjars they usually have a new one ... because it is the done thing to arrive at a wedding feast or important meeting wearing the Khanjar, thus, a new weapon shows prestige and wealth etc to all the guests. That is the tradition.

Because the Khanjar is "meccano built'' i.e. from a load of separate replaceable parts it also lends itself to being upgraded easily. A better blade or a horn or Rhino hilt can be fitted..There is technically no end to the upgrade since all the parts are changeable. Many Khanjars get the upgrade treatment at some point. This is normal in Oman.

The fact is that Omani Khanjars and Swords are part of Omani History but they are vitally part of its present and future as well. These are living, breathing artefacts protected by the rich heritage of Oman so they should endure through time.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Brother Ibrahiim, you are mistaken. The 2nd pic is not a Kohl and eye applicator. It is a Dokha (Persian Tobacco) container and Omani pipe (Midhwak).

I know this for a fact, from the dhow-bowsprit shape of the pipe. I used to smoke this stuff. Its very common here in the UAE, especially among the teenager groups.

Salaams TribalBlades IT FLIPPED!! Sorry Chief, the pictures raffled themselves into position so I ought to have made clear the gun cartridge from which the Kohl (antimony paste derivative) which can be either the 303 "Canad"style (SMLE Lee Enfield Birmingham .303 ) or the .303 earlier circa 1890 blackpowder round...OR the earlier shape from the Martini Henry 577 cartridge. The sharing of Kohl applicators was the major cause of conjunctivitis for many decades..before 1970.

The other item is the tobacco pipe and tobacco holder. Well spotted !!! :)

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

wow! i just noticed the Kohl-container is made of a cartridge! hmm . .
It seems bullets cartridges have widely been put into other uses. Just the other day, I saw an old Arab Bedu man holding a walking stick, the tip of which was made of a Martini-bullet cartridge!

and thanx for the info about the conjunctivitis. That is definitely something new!
:eek:

Salaams TribalBlades ~ They are designed in the similar style but not made from the old cartridges (in fact it is a hollow silver casting of the entire bullet and cartridge with a counter rotating silver hand made screw) The material is high grade silver. The chain and applicator are also silver...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Omani Khanjar, This old dagger looks to me to be nicely refurbished. The blade is old and smells of old herbs and has a thwack sound when flicked with a fingernail...The rings are well worn. I would change the belt in the age old way of upgrading the weapon and add a work knife to it . The hilt is cowhorn quite nicely pinned. Original goldwash strips adorn the piece.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams All, They dont make them like this anymore ~ This is the original form chain style on the silver bullet and cartridge kohl container for men. Worn on the gunbelt of slung over the Khanjar this was used to give far sight to the wearer... An olden day concept to cut the suns glare like American Football Players wear today sort of idea. :shrug:

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams All ~ Just building up the Data Base ! Some Emirati Styles here. The differences being overall style difference including chevron shaped rings or thinner rings and a lot of leather showing in the lower scabbard region beneath the ring belt. :shrug:

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams; Note to Library. In determining where is Hababi (see map at http://mapcarta.com/12505012)

CORRECTION The place Hababi is in Yemen South West Of Ta'izz and about half way to the Red Sea coast ~ In Yemen.

The dagger though it is termed "The Hababi" by Omanis may be termed something else in Yemen and the border area with Saudia Arabia(The Assir) discussed above. The place which gave the weapon its name is Hababi in the Yemen some distance to the South of the border ... but in Yemen.

The following statement remains more or less intact;

What I intend to show is how this migration brought with it the Omani Khanjar that we see today but for a comparison we need to look at the Asir regional dagger. ( The Asir has been part of Yemen up to about 1923 but is now part of Saudia Arabia. The capital is Abha and the main seaport of the region is Jazan.) For further references to the Asir dagger see the following~

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5512947198

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/4336633417

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5780340287

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5780340299

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/4318547823

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams ~Back to the subject ~More Khanjars. Note the small money pouch on the right with the geometric figure 5 at its base. It should be remembered that in itself silver is Talismanic being representative of the Moon (Gold The Sun Silver The Moon) but that other Talismanic shapes are also reflected in the designs ;The figure 5 being particularly important. :shrug:

The book has this one down as Omani but to me it is Emirati.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams all; It is not uncommon for Omani Khanjar parts to be interchanged. This is quite often done at random and over a number of years. I am not aware of any Khanjars that adopt foreign countries weapon parts even if in some cases the weapons are quite similar for example those of the Asir region and their daggers which are worn on both sides of the Saudia / Yemeni border. It simply isn't done. The closest Omani weapons to those of Yemen are to be found in the Dhofar region whose capital is Salalah. Often Omani Khanjars taken there have changed quite dramatically from their original configuration but careful detective work can unpick the mystery. Here is a Khanjar which I am including in this thread because it is in fact Omani. With it are other Omani dagger types from which parts were probably taken.

The first picture courtesy Forums http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16834 by Khanjar 1 shows a remarkable Omani Khanjar chopped and changed down the decades and very much the style of Salalah Jebali weapon..This is a classic in its own right.

After that in no particular order are likely style candidates from which parts may have been obtained or chosen perhaps in the silversmiths shop or from pieces in the owners domain..and a bit of a punt for the prehistoric beast that provided the horn.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Correction.
 

Correction.

Salaams all ~ The above post is corrected as follows and in the time honoured tradition of "If Im wrong I will be the first to admit it" and after careful deliberation the project dagger shown above in the first picture is in fact as I first said... Habaabi from The Asir region of Saudia and worn on both sides of the border Saudia/Yemen. The peculiar terminology Habaabi appears to originate in the name of a city some distance away called Hababi in the Yemen South West of Ta'iff and between there and the Red Sea Coast. :shrug:

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Penny drops on Royal Omani Khanjars..
 

Salaams all Note to Library~

For Reference:The basis of the discussion is at #17.

The Royal Omani Khanjar.
We know that Sheherazad the Persian Princess who was one of the wives of Sayyid Said Bin Sultan who ruled Oman 1800 to 1856 designed the Royal Khanjar, The Royal Turban and more than likely the Royal Hilt of the Iconised Omani Battle Sword. The likely timeline to be confirmed is about 1850. I show a couple of Royal Hilts below.

What was not realised was that it was ONLY the hilt of the Khanjar not the scabbard that she altered and redesigned following, it is thought, the more ornate Indian style to which she was more attracted.

This refined detail is important since it means that the 7 rings are older than 1850 (the assumed aproximate date of the redesign) and that the original dagger that she worked on must therefor already have had 7 rings. This places the Muscat dagger shown below as the likely contender for the origin of species at least of the Omani Royal Khanjar prior to its conversion... and is entirely logical since the rings are in fact not meant as a design feature but a technological engineering device which holds the whole scabbard together...and that was not what she was about...

Artistic designer yes... Engineer no. HILT ONLY

This places a very important couple of questions in the frame viz;

1. If the Asir (then Yemeni) variant known in Oman as Habaabi was copied from the The Muscat Khanjar when did this occur since it is now free from the constraints of the date line 1850 and may well be a much earlier transmission ?
2. If the Asir (then Yemeni) variant known in Oman as Habaabi is not related to the Royal Khanjar but to The Muscat Khanjar when did the transition occur and in which direction. Muscat > Yemen ? or Yemen Muscat ?

I now request Forum to compare the Muscat Dagger to the Asir weapon and to sideline the Royal Khanjar since it is not related.

For pictorial references to Asir variants see;

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5512947198

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/4336633417

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5780340287

http://www.flickr.com/photos/charlesfred/5780340299

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mytripsmypics/4318547823

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Aleikum Salaams Bro.
I could not resist to present this one :p

à +

Dom

Salaams Yaa Ustaath Dom wa mutagem ruqn wahid (Dom oh Master with number 1 Interpreter !) ~ This is the classic Emirati Style with lots of leather below the belt with scorpion patterns.. Also often seen with chevron shaped rings but not always. The belt is superb reflecting the geometry on the scabbard. :) Nice one Dom. :shrug:
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaam All ~ The use of high density modern composites on hilts.

To save the Rhino, Elephant and other endangered species here are a few alternative Omani Hilts that are very capable, properly weighted and take all the usual silver pin decoration just like horn and bone.

Oddly I have never seen Mamoth tusk used on Omani Khanjars. :shrug:

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Namaste Ibrahiim,

Excellent work on these hilt materials.
I absolutely applaud such a stance.
They not only look fantastic, they also preserve the traditional skills of the craftsmen who decorate them.

As this is such an important innovation in the evolution of the Omani Khanjar, perhaps you could expand on this post and tell us more about the vital work of ending the demand for new Khanjar with hilts made from endangered species and how you go about altering the more "traditional" mindsets of those who still might see them as 'current' status symbols and not simply items of historic interest?
As a dealer and maker of new Khanjar, have you developed any of these alternatives yourself?
What materials have you used, how are they made? How do they 'perform' in terms of durability etc?
Do your clients prefer them to say exotic wood or coloured cow horn?
How have your clientele reacted to their introdcution and recieved them in general? In fact have your clients led the demand for these alternatives or have you taken the chance and introduced them anyway?

Can you envision a time when public opinion in Oman might make it socially unaceptable to wear the endangered species hilts and they could be consigned to collections and museums only? (here's hoping!)

Well done again
Gene

Salaams Atlantia ~ We don't build using Rhino or Elephant unless the certification shows allowability.. In any case its a fairly rare event and hopefully the price is sufficiently steep to deter many being called for...The greater drain appears to be from medicinal herbal traditional Chinese demand... and hand carved items. Frankly we are very cautious and fully aware of the dodgey credentials offered by people selling this material ..

We use a lot of composite now .. high density plastic which is called Americy in the market place ! No one seems to mind since the finish is good and it takes all the pins etc...The trouble is that Khanjars get upgraded so it matters little what leaves the workshop if the client then or later switches to a rare hilt.

We also use good horn from basic water buffalo which polishes well, however, I am looking at Mamoth since that could be part of the answer ...and its CITES compliant. I believe that could take over from Rhino and Elephant.

Occasionally there is a call for Sandalwood hilt which is about as exotic as it gets and Sandalwood doesn't get attacked by weevil. Cowhorn is looked on as just about acceptable but its low on the spectrum.

I'm afraid the mindset is rather cemented in terms of the rare items... though we have many clients now happy with the alternatives... Unfortunately the Rhino is still intrinsically linked to the dagger. Power, prowess, rich price...for rich men... status.

I hope that with composites improving all the time including grain and texture we can narrow the use of rare hilts.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Hi Ibrahiim,

The difficulty of changing ingrained tradition cannot be easy, especially when they are linked to perceptions of status. But given the alternative, attitudes do have to change. Not only in Oman but also in the far east.

Why the lack of interest in woods?
I've seen old Khanjar with wooden hilts and it is after all, a renewable and sustainable resource. :shrug:

With the recent massive resurgence of hard-stone carving in China and India, have you ever considered sourcing hard-stone hilts as a more 'status' alternative to resins?
They could still have partial silver covers with limited pins cemented in to connect the exterior elements, in fact following the Indo-Persian/Mughal methods of decoration they could be quite elaborate.
They would also provide a wide variety of colours and some of the stones used are extremely hard and durable.
Jade, Jadeite, Bowenite Serpentine etc.....

I bet Chinese or Indian workshops could produce a standard 'I' shaped Khanjar hilt to a very high standard at very reasonale cost!

And it's a readily available material with well rooted traditions! :shrug:

Best
Gene

EDIT: Picture added. Photoshopped picture of Khanjar hilt.
Original hilt removed and space filled with picture of red jadeite.

Salaams Atlantia Stone just isn't wanted..It may be because it has the wrong weight... and oddly even the expensive stone isn't sought such as Jade...though it is for exotic Persian and Indian Daggers...Standard hardwood is looked upon as the poorest hilt...followed by cheap plastic then cowhorn.. (then there is the possibility of an almost all silver hilt) then Sandalwood then Composites then Elephant then Rhino. In the advent of a peculiar horn or bone such as Water Buffalo the place they take would be below Elephant but better than Composites... Sea animal tusk I've seen a few and they come before Elephant ... somewhere in that order.

I liked the Jadeite example you placed..Shukran.

We do make a camel stick in almost that configuration in a ceramic hilt form but its a bit unsafe ... What is the effect of dropping a stone hilted khanjar onto a stone floor from about 4 feet?... I'm sure it would fall pommel down first ... would it crack break or chip? Bone and composites don't break or chip.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Rhino Hilt.
 

Salaams All ~ Here is an old Rhino Hilt redressed with new silver for an up and coming Khanjar. Note that the plate on the front is not a solid piece... but separate silver pins:shrug:
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Pommel End Photo.

Wow its so beautiful. I can't believe someone actually sat there and put all those countless pins into that hilt.

Do show us the finished product when you are done! :shrug:

Salaams BANTARU ~ I will try to show the final complete result. Sadly the fact is that Rhino makes such an attractive hilt because of this translucence and the variety of colours in the different types ... In addition Rhino is perfect for using the very close silver pin technique since other materials split. Rhino hilt is also very robust and even if thrown to the floor it bounces... whilst other materials can crack. Fortunately we now see a fair number of composite materials substituting Rhino or horn but nothing gets close enough to Rhino ...

For a brief look at what we are trying to save see # 55 by Spiral and http://www.african-elephant.org/pachy/index.html

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.