Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Oriental-Arms · 20th December 2008, 08:21 PM

Two comments to this interesting thread:

1) Styles: I wish to suggest a somewhat different approach to the different styles. I would rather define the style on the basis of the scabbard shape and not the hilt shape. Reason being that today it is quite difficult to find a good Khanjar with the handle born together with the scabbard. Blades and handles were commonly replaced, either because the blade was worn or just a wish to wear a new or different style handle. In the last ten or twenty years it become even more difficult. The demands (especially in the far east) for rhino horn in view of the imposed limitation of trade in it, caused many owners / dealers and traders to remove rhino handle from old khanjars and replace it with newly made silver or plastic handles.

I have in my collection quite many Khanjars from all over the Arabian Peninsula, some are with replaced handles. But even those which I trust to be original styles comes with a variety of handles. Best example may be are the daggers from the Hadramouth region, with the very high rising scabbard tip. I have seen those with old rhino handles with a round bulbous pommel, with I shaped handles with flat pommel and all the other variations. Yet, they are all from Hadramouth.

2) Dating: When this style of dagger appeared on the scene is a mystery. I have not seen in person any Khanjar older than early 19 C, and most of them are late 19 to early 20 C and later. Alain Jacob in his book les armes blanches du monde Islamic show few ones dated to the 18 C. but I have my reservations and I think they are all 19 C. The only earlier one with a serious provenance is shown by R. Elgood The arms and armor of Arabia dated to 1763, already mentioned above (and to be honest, if I would have seen this one in the market I would date it to the 19 C. as well).

20th December 2008, 08:21 PM	#17
Oriental-Arms Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Haifa, Israel Posts: 183	Two comments Two comments to this interesting thread: 1) Styles: I wish to suggest a somewhat different approach to the different styles. I would rather define the style on the basis of the scabbard shape and not the hilt shape. Reason being that today it is quite difficult to find a good Khanjar with the handle born together with the scabbard. Blades and handles were commonly replaced, either because the blade was worn or just a wish to wear a new or different style handle. In the last ten or twenty years it become even more difficult. The demands (especially in the far east) for rhino horn in view of the imposed limitation of trade in it, caused many owners / dealers and traders to remove rhino handle from old khanjars and replace it with newly made silver or plastic handles. I have in my collection quite many Khanjars from all over the Arabian Peninsula, some are with replaced handles. But even those which I trust to be original styles comes with a variety of handles. Best example may be are the daggers from the Hadramouth region, with the very high rising scabbard tip. I have seen those with old rhino handles with a round bulbous pommel, with I shaped handles with flat pommel and all the other variations. Yet, they are all from Hadramouth. 2) Dating: When this style of dagger appeared on the scene is a mystery. I have not seen in person any Khanjar older than early 19 C, and most of them are late 19 to early 20 C and later. Alain Jacob in his book les armes blanches du monde Islamic show few ones dated to the 18 C. but I have my reservations and I think they are all 19 C. The only earlier one with a serious provenance is shown by R. Elgood The arms and armor of Arabia dated to 1763, already mentioned above (and to be honest, if I would have seen this one in the market I would date it to the 19 C. as well).