The Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by spiral

Many good points, glad we both see as the truth Ibrahiim.

Glad to see also youve also added non slip grip to your observations, & shape of blade to!.... It seemed that way to me, hence my comments on this & the other thread, pointing this out earlier.

Personaly I think scabbard design looks nothing like a rhino horn & is just a practical evolution to hook underneath a belt or sash, to aid grip as the dagger is pulled.. After all Rhino horns are not nearly U shaped after all.

I think Terrs are made of, Rhino,Elephant, hippo, buffalo, whale & indeed any other thick heavy hide probably? They all work when thick enough...

Re.your point 5, I would agree with you if the nails were just on the pommel, as they usualy cover the entire front of the hilt. i think it more for the grip & decoration that there used?

Must say though that when it cones to blade design, no one on this earth usually uses a double sided dagger as a skinning knife, thats rather impracticle, when you add the central rib as well, which obviosley is for for stabbing penetration, it shows Jambiays prime function is not as a skinning knife. To me personaly it seems from its blade design to be a weapon for shallow slashing & deep stabbing wounds. Obviosly Originaly designed as weapon.

But of course thats just my thoughts, for what there worth....

Spiral

Salaams Spiral.. Yes I stole that point straight from your post about the grip...
What is known about Terrs material is mixed with some comments from European 19th Century passers by stating this or that material... Rhino waterbuffalo whale etc... What I have seen and what is visible in The Craft Herritage masterwork by Richardson and Dorr i.e. several material types including thick hide, wood and reed/ woven palm material...and these days rubber/ poly material...All that needs to be focussed with what I have only recently discovered after talking to some old fishermen..that there is a fish which barks ... called a dog of the sea (kelb mal bahr) or something like with huge teeth and flippers !!... that I assume is a Walruss ..and that the skin behind the neck at the shoulders is the favoured hide for Terrs. I have a couple of these Bucklers but I have no idea what the test is for Walrus hide!

Nails... The silver pins...ah good point except that this hilt may well have been transferred from a Muscat dagger..or from a Jazzan Hababi dagger; Now in Saudia Arabia all at # 17 on this thread. (Pictures 1 and 3) or even from a Salalah dagger #1 picture 4~ the black hilt to the right of frame. There is a slim chance that it could have originated from a Royal Khanjar since it is quite narrow at the top... It would certainly make sense to recycle the Rhino horn ~

Skinning blade. I agree that this blade is a defensive strike weapon... though it is said that the shape of the wide blade is also good for cutting and scraping the skin off the meat...whilst skinning. I've seen a camel and a few sheep and goats dropped with one cut but I agree it seems a bit cumbersome to use it for skinning though that is the tale. Lost in time this part I'm afraid... and until I can analize the Museums records its worth logging for later.

Ah!! The shape of the scabbard.. Funnily enough the horn design part that I speak about is not curved... It is a straight formation...with slight elongation on the top side. The curve takes place at the lower base of the Scabbard. see photo at # 1.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Jim McDougall]

This thread continues to develop as an outstanding resource in learning about these fascinating daggers, and it is great to see the itemized attention to important elements concerning them.
It seems that rhino horn is as discussed, a powerful and symbolically oriented material not only in the hilts of these daggers in Oman, but throughout other Arabian regions. Some years ago there were some discussions about the various types of rhino horn used in these hilts, and that certain types actually were called by specific terms, and there were actually graduated scales of status in them. I cannot recall the details offhand, but beyond I believe the talismanic properties which are part of the mystique in these rhino hilts, the status in accord with the rarity of the horn type also becomes a factor. It seems mostly these situations pertained to Yemeni regions, and at the time not sure if Oman was included in the discussions.

I do recall also that as rhino horn became somewhat more controlled in trade in the latter 19th early 20th c. many of the blades into Arabia from Ethiopia entered through the Aden entrepot which was British occupied.
Many of these were British and German blades bearing the Abyssinian 'Lion of Judah' and sometimes Amharic script, and as I understand the rhino shotel hilts were removed for use on khanjhar hilts. The blades ended up hilted with some of the silvered repousse style hilts mounted with these blades, many returning in those configurations back to North Africa.

I am wondering if similar values as described with the Yemeni khanjhar situation are observed pertaining to grade and type of rhino horn, translucence, color etc.

All best regards,
Jim

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

This thread continues to develop as an outstanding resource in learning about these fascinating daggers, and it is great to see the itemized attention to important elements concerning them.
It seems that rhino horn is as discussed, a powerful and symbolically oriented material not only in the hilts of these daggers in Oman, but throughout other Arabian regions. Some years ago there were some discussions about the various types of rhino horn used in these hilts, and that certain types actually were called by specific terms, and there were actually graduated scales of status in them. I cannot recall the details offhand, but beyond I believe the talismanic properties which are part of the mystique in these rhino hilts, the status in accord with the rarity of the horn type also becomes a factor. It seems mostly these situations pertained to Yemeni regions, and at the time not sure if Oman was included in the discussions.

I do recall also that as rhino horn became somewhat more controlled in trade in the latter 19th early 20th c. many of the blades into Arabia from Ethiopia entered through the Aden entrepot which was British occupied.
Many of these were British and German blades bearing the Abyssinian 'Lion of Judah' and sometimes Amharic script, and as I understand the rhino shotel hilts were removed for use on khanjhar hilts. The blades ended up hilted with some of the silvered repousse style hilts mounted with these blades, many returning in those configurations back to North Africa.

I am wondering if similar values as described with the Yemeni khanjhar situation are observed pertaining to grade and type of rhino horn, translucence, color etc.

All best regards,
Jim

Salaams Jim ~ Thank you for that important contribution. I understand that Oman was trading with (and owned large areas of) coastal Africa as well as the Zanzibar hub itself..though that declined considerably from the late 19th to the mid 20th C.

I wonder what trade to Oman went through Aden under the British. The other port would have been Jazzan now in Saudia but just around the corner in the Red Sea. The dagger(scabbard) of that region (called after one of its cities Hababi) is an almost carbon copy of the Royal Omani Khanjar.

Oman seems to have favoured clear translucent hilts whilst Yemeni daggers didnt seem to mind if they were black and oily. I have never heard of a grading system... but will enquire.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[spiral]

This was from the Yemeni times long ago...

Qualities of Jambia in Yemen

The most famous sort of the Jambia is that which has a “saifani” handle. It has a dim yellowish luster. When it is clearer, it turns into a yellow color. This is called saifani heart.

Some of the saifani handles are called “Asadi”, when they turn into greenish yellow. When the handle becomes Whitish yellow, it is called Zaraf. There is also Albasali (onionish) kind whose color looks like white onion.

Lots of other on the spot information in the Pachyderm magazines & articles, including many interveiws with jambiya makers,sellers & the dealers & smuglers of rhino horn.

linky

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by spiral

This was from the Yemeni times long ago...

Qualities of Jambia in Yemen

The most famous sort of the Jambia is that which has a “saifani” handle. It has a dim yellowish luster. When it is clearer, it turns into a yellow color. This is called saifani heart.

Some of the saifani handles are called “Asadi”, when they turn into greenish yellow. When the handle becomes Whitish yellow, it is called Zaraf. There is also Albasali (onionish) kind whose color looks like white onion.

Lots of other on the spot information in the Pachyderm magazines & articles, including many interveiws with jambiya makers,sellers & the dealers & smuglers of rhino horn.

linky

Salaams spiral ~ Brilliant link addition for research and library purposes thank you very much ! In Oman I am only familiar with the term Z'raf(Zaraf) which appears to be the general term for Rhino here...though the other terms may simply have fallen from use... I will check that.

Thanks again for the excellent link.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams All; Note to Forum.

A number of pointers in the construction of The Omani Khanjar lead me to think that the link with the Rhino is far stronger than at first perceived. viz;

1. The importance of the Rhino Horn hilt.. Power and Prestige.
2. The use of pins mirroring Rhino natural fibrous design in the hilt.
3. The curved shape of the scabbard shaped like a Rhino Horn.
4. The curved blade shaped like the Rhino Horn.
5. The dagger worn at the front. ( see note below)

Intriguing also is the name itself~ KHANJAR; an arabic word... and the closely sounding Yemeni word for their dagger; Jambia (Janbia) meaning beside.. though there is some irony in that the Yemeni weapon is worn frontally. (not on the side, though, the Thuma another similar Yemeni dagger is carried at the side)

The name for Rhino is "Wahid al Gharn"... The one with the horn. Leaving the Yemeni question to one side ( no pun intended ) could the root Gharn be linked to the root Khanj? I can imagine that down the ages this word for horn modified from Gharn to Khanj and thus Khanjar transpired...

So the hypothesis thickens ~ From ancient times was the Omani Khanjar really a dagger and scabbard named and worn as a honorific representation of the Rhino? Does it in fact represent the power, strength and prestige from that great beast.

Are all of the main parts attributable to this single animal?

Caution; Whilst it "looks" like it... and though I show a series of pointers which "appear" to back up my theory ~

There is hardly a scrap of evidence to support my view.

Note. As a further extension to the general theory perhaps the Khanjar is worn frontally for the same reason? i.e. Thats where the Rhino has its main armament !

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams All ~ Note to Forum.
Arguably one of the best and most respected ethnographic weapons experts of all time...Charles Buttin whose essential biography can be seen at http://old.blades.free.fr/books/cbuttin.htm It shows a wonderful photo of the man himself in his study surrounded by his collection. The site makes it possible to purchase a book from one of the great mans decendants. It contains an extensive index.
Buttins masterworks on Ethnographic arms is "THE REFERENCE" to quote when discussing ethnographic arms. (or one of them !)

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.