Yemeni Jambiya/Thuma with strange markings

[Steve]

Hi Thilo,
I also can't give you a full translation however just about all these inscriptions now start with " made by....".
However I can tell you that the dagger hilt style is termed "Hodeidah" style as they were made in the Hodeidah area in Yemen for over 100 years. They were generally made without the scabbard which was added in various styles later, often in another city , such as Taiz. The triangular formation of dots are supposed to be grape bunches, grown in the Yemen Tihama.
In the 1950's, plus or minus ten years, due to civil unrest in Yemen the skills moved up the Red Sea to Jeddah where the jambiyas were made for the growing Muslim tourist market on their way to Mecca. These daggers were matched with the type of scabbards both you and Stu have. By 1980, the silversmithing industry was really over in Hodeidah.
I agree with the previous comments that your jambiya is from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and probably 1960's. Stu's is probably a little older.
All silver jambiyas can look spectacular.
Regards,
Steve

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Steve

Hi Thilo,
I also can't give you a full translation however just about all these inscriptions now start with " made by....".
However I can tell you that the dagger hilt style is termed "Hodeidah" style as they were made in the Hodeidah area in Yemen for over 100 years. They were generally made without the scabbard which was added in various styles later, often in another city , such as Taiz. The triangular formation of dots are supposed to be grape bunches, grown in the Yemen Tihama.
In the 1950's, plus or minus ten years, due to civil unrest in Yemen the skills moved up the Red Sea to Jeddah where the jambiyas were made for the growing Muslim tourist market on their way to Mecca. These daggers were matched with the type of scabbards both you and Stu have. By 1980, the silversmithing industry was really over in Hodeidah.
I agree with the previous comments that your jambiya is from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and probably 1960's. Stu's is probably a little older.
All silver jambiyas can look spectacular.
Regards,
Steve

Very nice discussion ... We can't decipher this at all !! Steve / Stu; whereas yours has a clear script to it... the other seems to be only artistic or representative form and some squiggles that could represent something quite different~ An evil "Djinn"... for which the wearer is protected against by having the "Djinn" inscribed on the dagger. The silver being the medium by which such Djinns are repelled.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Steve

Hi Thilo,
I also can't give you a full translation however just about all these inscriptions now start with " made by....".
However I can tell you that the dagger hilt style is termed "Hodeidah" style as they were made in the Hodeidah area in Yemen for over 100 years. They were generally made without the scabbard which was added in various styles later, often in another city , such as Taiz. The triangular formation of dots are supposed to be grape bunches, grown in the Yemen Tihama.
In the 1950's, plus or minus ten years, due to civil unrest in Yemen the skills moved up the Red Sea to Jeddah where the jambiyas were made for the growing Muslim tourist market on their way to Mecca. These daggers were matched with the type of scabbards both you and Stu have. By 1980, the silversmithing industry was really over in Hodeidah.
I agree with the previous comments that your jambiya is from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia and probably 1960's. Stu's is probably a little older.
All silver jambiyas can look spectacular.
Regards,
Steve

Very nice discussion ... We can't decipher this at all !! Steve; whereas yours has a clear script to it... the other seems to be only artistic or representative form and some squiggles that could represent something quite different~ An evil "Djinn"... for which the wearer is protected against by having the "Djinn" inscribed on the dagger. The silver being the medium by which such Djinns are repelled.

[mrwizard]

@Steve
Thank you for the additional information. I already wondered if there was some meaning behind the decorations.
After your remark that scabbard and hilt were generally made seperately i had a closer look. Indeed there is a (very) small difference in the craftmanship of the scabbard. While the work might have been done by different persons, i doubt it has been done at different cities. The materials and techniques seem to be identical.
The timeframe you mentioned roughly matches the story of the seller, who told me that it was purchased right after WW2 in the UK.

@Ibrahim
That the writing on the hilt could be some kind warding glyph was also my first thought. But after the help from Michael and Dom i now suspect that it is just a maker with an artistic ambition...

Best Regards,
Thilo

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by mrwizard

@Steve
Thank you for the additional information. I already wondered if there was some meaning behind the decorations.
After your remark that scabbard and hilt were generally made seperately i had a closer look. Indeed there is a (very) small difference in the craftmanship of the scabbard. While the work might have been done by different persons, i doubt it has been done at different cities. The materials and techniques seem to be identical.
The timeframe you mentioned roughly matches the story of the seller, who told me that it was purchased right after WW2 in the UK.

@Ibrahim
That the writing on the hilt could be some kind warding glyph was also my first thought. But after the help from Michael and Dom i now suspect that it is just a maker with an artistic ambition...

Best Regards,
Thilo

Thanks... You might be right but...However... The maker does not usually inscribe rough dotted inscriptions on a piece... it is usually done by the owner afterwards. Thus it is a Djinn (the personal Djinn of the owner)... put on by him to ward off evil spirits~ in this case a very specific ''Djinn''
or nightmare!