[A.alnakkas]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

The dagger from Abha is called the "Habaabi" in Oman. Meaning` of Al Abha. Consider the historical reasoning built around the important sea port of Jazzan feeding into the entire area ...Abha being the capital.....coupled with the vital sea route link of Muscat, Sur, Jazzan and Zanzibar and reverse. Zanzibar was the capital of Oman (Stone Town) and shipping thrived during the reign of Saaid Bin Sultan between 1804 and 1856 as well as large parts of the time before and after his death. It is easy to see how the al Wustah weapon transmitted to the Asir which at the time was Yemeni...but absorbed into Saudia in 1923.

Maybe a few Omani individuals who are around the area you work in call it Habaabi? A few Omani researchers (Jamal AlKindi for one) seem to simply call it a Saudi Khanjar amongst other Omani collectors. Thats hardly an argument. I think its an issue of what the locals call it and what foreigners do. I tend to go with what the locals use :-))

Still, Omanis, or any other Arab society for that matters, do not call Abha "Habaabi" I find that very odd especially that there is no source or anything to support it.

Do not confuse Ahsa with the Asir style. The transmission or copying of style in the al Hasa Oasis in Eastern Saudia may well also have come from al Wustah style....but that is more difficult to establish because the hilt is largely re designed...It may be also partly copied from the Royal Khanjar (Sayyidiyyah) or the Muscat weapon.

All Asiri makers copy the dojani style. The style simply got modified by having a slightly more curved scabbard compared to the one posted by HarryWagner. Pictures added of one perfect example actually, previously posted in the forum. The chape inscription while faded, I am able to read it and its made by non other than Hussain AlDajani himself.

It may be further seen that the Royal Khanjar hilt was designed from Indian form but that another Khanjar was instrumental in its looks...that of the Muscat Khanjar.. itself remarkably similar to the al Wustah !! The last 200 plus years have allowed the Omani Khanjar situation to spread and tangle, although, for what its worth we have now got a fairly firm hand on the idiosyncrasies and mirroring of types...and neighboring country variants.

Almost all the Northern Oman workshops are capable of producing almost all of the different Khanjars of Oman...

Any scabbard technically can be joined with a Royal Khanjar Hilt.... forms mix and mingle and because dagger parts are interchangeable confusion can sometimes run rampant. The wife of one Sultan redesigned the Khanjar Hilt of her husband but only the hilt...thus, there are 4 ringer and 7 ringer (and sometimes more rings) scabbards with the royal hilt.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

I agree that there is a very strong similarity to Oman. But other parts of the peninsula used similar styles as old as the Saidi. I'll forward you an article soon just doing the final touches :-))