My first Jambiya...but is it a good one?

ariel · 28th July 2006, 05:13 PM

Moroccan Koummya. Not new, not a bazaar piece; in short, the real stuff.

katana · 28th July 2006, 06:56 PM

Thanks Ariel,
Its never easy deciding whether a knife on eBay is good or bad when viewing the pictures on a listing. But when I received it in was in no doubt that it was functional. Thankyou for your input......how's your leg?

kai · 28th July 2006, 09:26 PM

Seems like this has seen quite some serious usage: the leading edge shows what appears to be wear from repeated sharpening...

BTW, is 4mm the maximum thickness?

Regards,
Kai

ariel · 29th July 2006, 01:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katana

Thanks Ariel,
Its never easy deciding whether a knife on eBay is good or bad when viewing the pictures on a listing. But when I received it in was in no doubt that it was functional. Thankyou for your input......how's your leg?

Thanks for asking: I am getting better. Walking without crutches and almost without pain.
Going to Peru for 4 days in mid-August. Expect to find a lot of ancient Inca weapons in the local antique stores: real plastic and genuine stainless steel

Will bring Pisco. If anybody is around Ann Arbor, drop by and we shall have a party.

S.Al-Anizi · 29th July 2006, 04:28 AM

Congrats Katana, I hope you get more of them

Its a staunch job to collect every style from morocco to Persia, if you're really into jambiya's, try doing that

kai · 29th July 2006, 02:17 PM

Actually, the Jambiya family extends well into the Southeast Asian archipelago, with lots of local variations!

Regards,
Kai

S.Al-Anizi · 29th July 2006, 02:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kai

Actually, the Jambiya family extends well into the Southeast Asian archipelago, with lots of local variations!

Regards,
Kai

Never knew that, thanks

ariel · 29th July 2006, 05:09 PM

What we call "jambiya" is just a short curved dagger traditionally attributed to the "Arab" tradition.
Question: Did it originate in the Arabian Peninsula and spread through the Maghreb, Persia, Middle East etc. with the Arab conquest in the 8th century and beyond or was it originally a local weapon of one of the conquered cultures and adopted by the Arabs? There are many examples of similar daggers in ancient, pre-Islamic, Asian and Scythian cultures (see Gorelik)
No doubt, Arab traders subsequently brought it to Indonesia and beyond. Each culture had its own style, but they often intermixed: one can see, for example, a "typical" Omani one made in India (early globalization!

). Some survived in isolated pockets: Palestinian one (shibriya) or Moroccan Koummya come to mind. Also, there is not much difference between "jambiya" and "'khanjar". Elgood says that it is just a matter of geography: West of the Arabian Peninsula it is Jambiya, East of it it is called Khanjar.
Weapons migrated with the speed of conquering armies and trade caravans.

28th July 2006, 05:13 PM	#1
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Moroccan Koummya. Not new, not a bazaar piece; in short, the real stuff.

28th July 2006, 06:56 PM	#2
katana Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Kent Posts: 2,658	Thanks Ariel, Its never easy deciding whether a knife on eBay is good or bad when viewing the pictures on a listing. But when I received it in was in no doubt that it was functional. Thankyou for your input......how's your leg?

28th July 2006, 09:26 PM	#3
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Seems like this has seen quite some serious usage: the leading edge shows what appears to be wear from repeated sharpening... BTW, is 4mm the maximum thickness? Regards, Kai

29th July 2006, 04:28 AM	#5
S.Al-Anizi Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Arabia Posts: 278	Congrats Katana, I hope you get more of them Its a staunch job to collect every style from morocco to Persia, if you're really into jambiya's, try doing that

29th July 2006, 02:17 PM	#6
kai Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Posts: 3,255	Actually, the Jambiya family extends well into the Southeast Asian archipelago, with lots of local variations! Regards, Kai

29th July 2006, 05:09 PM	#8
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	What we call "jambiya" is just a short curved dagger traditionally attributed to the "Arab" tradition. Question: Did it originate in the Arabian Peninsula and spread through the Maghreb, Persia, Middle East etc. with the Arab conquest in the 8th century and beyond or was it originally a local weapon of one of the conquered cultures and adopted by the Arabs? There are many examples of similar daggers in ancient, pre-Islamic, Asian and Scythian cultures (see Gorelik) No doubt, Arab traders subsequently brought it to Indonesia and beyond. Each culture had its own style, but they often intermixed: one can see, for example, a "typical" Omani one made in India (early globalization! ). Some survived in isolated pockets: Palestinian one (shibriya) or Moroccan Koummya come to mind. Also, there is not much difference between "jambiya" and "'khanjar". Elgood says that it is just a matter of geography: West of the Arabian Peninsula it is Jambiya, East of it it is called Khanjar. Weapons migrated with the speed of conquering armies and trade caravans.