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Originally Posted by motan
Hello, I am a new member and do not wish to hurt anybody's feeling, but I still feel that my point is valid. I have no doubt that khanjars can be used as weapons in some circumstances and inflict damage. However, daggers are not very effective as weapons and are last resort weapon at best. Their only truely effective use is as an assasin's weapon against an unsespecting person because they are easily concealed and can be used for stabbing. Omani and Yemeni daggers do not qualify as stabbing weapons and are hard to conceal.
Anyway, daggers that are too small for comfortable use are a recurring phenomenon in many types of daggers that can not be explained away by them being made for children. To illustrate this point, I have made some pictures from my collection. I appologize for the quality and remind that I have an average minus size hand. The first one (Majdali type) can be said to be a tourist item because it is fairly recent, but the other two were made by villagers for use by local villagers and are therefore authentic ethnographic items (but not as nice or valuble as your khanjars). The logical conclusion is that functionality and use were not a primary concern for their makers.
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I wouldnt worry too much about hurting feelings here... It is in fact true that the Omani and Yemeni daggers are worn to be seen... identifying the wearer as the head of the family probably more so in the case of the Omani Khanjar but I can assure you of the lethality of these weapons and why the authorities get very annoyed if people pull a dagger in an argument.
It is a weapon of last resort... The opponent in the old days having to avoid abu futtilla, spear, sword, and finally the dagger... It is not a paddle or an oar... on the contrary the blade is extremely dangerous since it is so broad at the hilt and pointed, as well as curved, reinforced in the central spine, and razor sharp on both edges. please see The Omani Khanjar
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=Omani+Khanjar