Yemenite jambiya khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

This is a cow horn hilt. The scabbard is new (nothing wrong with that as they fell apart usually scabbard first)..It is said that blades were imported from Germany and elsewhere although stories circulate that meteorite ore was used in locally made finer blades. Better quality blades are not joined like this, however, it is difficult to prove ..I have a dozen blades at any one time at the workshop but they are neither stamped nor are two the same. I think some came from Baluchistan and others from Persia as well as imports through trade from German sources and locally made items from wandering craftsmen such as the Zutoot in Oman before 1970.

Since this is a cow horn hilt it almost inevitably downgrades the dagger to tourist status...confirmed in the low grade blade and new scabbard of standard type and quality. Most Yemeni daggers were mounted on Rhino hilts...except cheaper items for the tourist market. The furniture on this weapon is low grade silver with a high other metals content typical after 1948 when the expert Jewish craftsmen left.