Thouma Jambiya by BOUSANI

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Salaams Ibrahiim,
I find your comments really interesting especially considering that most of the Khanjars and Jambiyas you display on your many posts are obviously new, or at least well worked over so that any originality has been destroyed.
If the Bousani has been worked on in the past, at least it still shows some age, and a good deal of its originality. Bousani was well known for fine silver work, BUT ALSO for pierced work.
It is a well known fact, at least in Yemen, that the Jambiyas themselves are often replaced in an old and original scabbard, so I am not at all surprised if this Jambiya is a replacement, and is not the same age as the rest of the "set".
If you have Steve Gracie's book, and your comments suggest that you have, then maybe you should read it, and particularly note the comments he makes regarding the making of the Jambiya "set". Steve does currently, and has in the past, travelled extensivly in Yemen and has many contacts there, and I believe that he knows what he is talking about.

Salaams kahnjar1 ~ Your opener is odd since certainly I show the ancient battle swords and Khanjars old and new..perhaps your computer screen is affected by the light... or needs adjusting We do a lot of new work that is true but that is the subtle difference in understanding old and new ethnographic arms. Oddly the ancient techniques are ongoing and whereas a local buyer will purchase antique and old work there is a huge demand for brand new pieces. I don't think my pictures divulge any loss in originality though it is also true that clients want clean Khanjars. After all, it only takes a very short time for the khanjars to develop patina since the silver oxidises very fast. Etho arms collectors internationally want patina but here, "where the metal meets the meat"... they don't.

Studying this item is a good way to absorb a lot of the specialist techniques in the earlier Jewish dominated silver crafts of Yemen. This isn't a competition nor is it a show of whos got the nicest lollipop but whilst forum members are absolutely within their rights to sensationalise with comments like wow, oooh, super, lovely and I wish I had one, other more serious comments must be expected which can sometimes lead to a heated, debated, discussion. In that way often fresh facts pop out or the thread ploughs forth into unknown but fascinating territory. The end result is a forum winner. A team effort.

I dont have the book by Steve Gracie but I'm getting it.

All my knowledge comes from hands on and common sense... plus a certain amount of web work and reading our forum library. Because of the influence on Omani ethnographics it is vital for me to get on top of the Yemeni subject.

Incidentally ~ There are two books that I may have reccommended to forum that I regret to report should be struck off viz;

1.Ethnic Jewellery edited by John Mack published for the trustees of the British Museum ( at the time of publication he was Keeper at the Museum of Mankind(department of Ethnography) , The British Museum. The book comprises 207 pages of work with a special chapter devoted to The Middle East.

2.Arab and Islamic Silver by Dr. Saad al Jadir. 216 pages with a vast 37 page section devoted to Oman and Yemen.

Neither book mentions Jewish Silver Craftsmanship; neither in the sections devoted to Yemen nor in the sections on adjoining countries... It is like they never existed. Nothing exists in the index or in the body of the books. The books must have been proof read by an ethnographic elimination panel. They are washed clean of any mention of Jewish Craftsmanship in all respects... I was shocked. I threw them away.

Therefor I look forward to getting a decent book on the subject.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.