YOU SHOW ME YOURS............

kahnjar1 · 31st December 2007, 03:03 AM

It appears that it is the time of year for sharing our collections, so in response to the great collections which have appeared here over the last few weeks, I offer the following:

The first blades I started to collect were Arabian, concentrating on the Arabian Peninsula, which offered quite enough variety to empty my bank account without trying very hard! Also responsible for my user name!
Hope you enjoy these..............

ENJOY

HAPPY NEW YEAR

Stuart

VANDOO · 31st December 2007, 04:31 AM

A VERY NICE GROUP ALL OF VERY GOOD QUALITY. I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE WAHHABI JAMBAYAS A VERY NICE VARIETY OF THEM. CONGRADULATIONS ON A VERY NICE COLLECTION.

Jim McDougall · 31st December 2007, 05:37 AM

Thank you so much for posting these beautiful examples Stuart!!! I never missed my copy of Elgood's "Arms and Armour of Arabia" as much as just now!!
Very interesting Martini-Henry there, I always find these tribally adapted weapons fascinating. It reminds me very much of our own Native American rifles of the late 19th century with the studded tack arrangements on the stocks and often wrapped in similar manner.

Could you please tell us more on these janbiyya variations? The Omani versions, I believe the bulb at the end of the scabbard is termed the 'thum'? said to represent a bulb of garlic. What is the symbolism represented with this?

The Wahhabi examples, are they termed 'sabiki' in general or only in particular regions such as the Hejaz ?

I just would like some additional information on this outstanding grouping of Arabian weapons for future reference here, and hope you wouldn't mind annotating them.

Thank you again Stuart,
All best regards,
Jim

kahnjar1 · 31st December 2007, 07:35 AM

[QUOTE=Jim McDougall]

Hi Jim,
Thanks for your kind comments. It is a pleasure to share ones collection with others as I firmly believe that the sharing of stuff with others is healthy to our hobby. I will do my best to answer your questions, with the little knowledge I have gleened from books.
The top 2 items in the pic are Omani. The item on the left came out of Oman, courtesy of a then mercenary, at the end of the Yemeni uprising in the late 1960s, with two rifles (one since onsold),and the Talahiq powder flask(the banana shaped one). This Khanjar also has the back knife (shafra). The Omani item on the right (slightly later) has the Sultans crest on the belt studs and is finished in silver and gold wire. The Omani name for these is "Khanjar" pronounced KUN-JUR, Sorry can't help with the THUM other than to say that I have not seen it used to describe Omani Khanjars, but rather to describe the very pronounced bulb on Meccan Janbiyyas.
The middle two are MECCAN Janbiyyas, so named for the area from which the style originated.
From left to right along the bottom:
Janbiyya from Hijaz or Asir late 19th or early 20th Cent.
" " " " Early 20th Cent
Janbiyya from Asir late 19th or ealy 20th Cent.
Janbiyya from Hijaz or Asir 19th Cent.
These Janbiyya, were/are also called either Sabak (Hijaz) or Sabiki (Asir), dependant on where they came from. It must be remembered that Arabia was virtually unknown, except for the coastal regions, until the advent of WW1, when the interior was further investigated thru necessity, by the then Colonial powers, so the regional blade/scabbard designs tended to stay fairly localised.
Elgoods book (still available thru Abebooks.com) has been a great help in sorting things out but I'm sure that there are other publications dealing with this subject.
Hope the above is of some help, and I can post single pics if anyone is interested in a closer view of any of the items.
HAPPY NEW YEAR
Stuart

Ferguson · 31st December 2007, 02:52 PM

Wow! What an incredible collection of Jambiya! Thanks for sharing these.

Steve

Jim McDougall · 31st December 2007, 07:11 PM

Excellent Stuart! Thank you for the most interesting detail and noting the information on the terms as well. On the 'thum' term, I was relying on memory so it is good to know that the term applies to the Meccan examples rather than specifically to the Omani. Good perspective on the relative seclusion of most of Arabia before WWI, which brings to mind the amazing adventures of Sir Richard Burton in entering these much restricted regions in the 19th century.
Again, thank you for sharing these!
All very best regards, and a very happy new year!
Jim

31st December 2007, 03:03 AM	#1
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,739	YOU SHOW ME YOURS............ It appears that it is the time of year for sharing our collections, so in response to the great collections which have appeared here over the last few weeks, I offer the following: The first blades I started to collect were Arabian, concentrating on the Arabian Peninsula, which offered quite enough variety to empty my bank account without trying very hard! Also responsible for my user name! Hope you enjoy these.............. ENJOY HAPPY NEW YEAR Stuart Attached Images

31st December 2007, 04:31 AM	#2
VANDOO (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: OKLAHOMA, USA Posts: 3,138	A VERY NICE GROUP ALL OF VERY GOOD QUALITY. I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE WAHHABI JAMBAYAS A VERY NICE VARIETY OF THEM. CONGRADULATIONS ON A VERY NICE COLLECTION.

31st December 2007, 05:37 AM	#3
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,945	Thank you so much for posting these beautiful examples Stuart!!! I never missed my copy of Elgood's "Arms and Armour of Arabia" as much as just now!! Very interesting Martini-Henry there, I always find these tribally adapted weapons fascinating. It reminds me very much of our own Native American rifles of the late 19th century with the studded tack arrangements on the stocks and often wrapped in similar manner. Could you please tell us more on these janbiyya variations? The Omani versions, I believe the bulb at the end of the scabbard is termed the 'thum'? said to represent a bulb of garlic. What is the symbolism represented with this? The Wahhabi examples, are they termed 'sabiki' in general or only in particular regions such as the Hejaz ? I just would like some additional information on this outstanding grouping of Arabian weapons for future reference here, and hope you wouldn't mind annotating them. Thank you again Stuart, All best regards, Jim

31st December 2007, 07:35 AM	#4
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,739	[QUOTE=Jim McDougall] Hi Jim, Thanks for your kind comments. It is a pleasure to share ones collection with others as I firmly believe that the sharing of stuff with others is healthy to our hobby. I will do my best to answer your questions, with the little knowledge I have gleened from books. The top 2 items in the pic are Omani. The item on the left came out of Oman, courtesy of a then mercenary, at the end of the Yemeni uprising in the late 1960s, with two rifles (one since onsold),and the Talahiq powder flask(the banana shaped one). This Khanjar also has the back knife (shafra). The Omani item on the right (slightly later) has the Sultans crest on the belt studs and is finished in silver and gold wire. The Omani name for these is "Khanjar" pronounced KUN-JUR, Sorry can't help with the THUM other than to say that I have not seen it used to describe Omani Khanjars, but rather to describe the very pronounced bulb on Meccan Janbiyyas. The middle two are MECCAN Janbiyyas, so named for the area from which the style originated. From left to right along the bottom: Janbiyya from Hijaz or Asir late 19th or early 20th Cent. " " " " Early 20th Cent Janbiyya from Asir late 19th or ealy 20th Cent. Janbiyya from Hijaz or Asir 19th Cent. These Janbiyya, were/are also called either Sabak (Hijaz) or Sabiki (Asir), dependant on where they came from. It must be remembered that Arabia was virtually unknown, except for the coastal regions, until the advent of WW1, when the interior was further investigated thru necessity, by the then Colonial powers, so the regional blade/scabbard designs tended to stay fairly localised. Elgoods book (still available thru Abebooks.com) has been a great help in sorting things out but I'm sure that there are other publications dealing with this subject. Hope the above is of some help, and I can post single pics if anyone is interested in a closer view of any of the items. HAPPY NEW YEAR Stuart

31st December 2007, 02:52 PM	#5
Ferguson Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Kernersville, NC, USA Posts: 793	Wow! What an incredible collection of Jambiya! Thanks for sharing these. Steve

31st December 2007, 07:11 PM	#6
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,945	Excellent Stuart! Thank you for the most interesting detail and noting the information on the terms as well. On the 'thum' term, I was relying on memory so it is good to know that the term applies to the Meccan examples rather than specifically to the Omani. Good perspective on the relative seclusion of most of Arabia before WWI, which brings to mind the amazing adventures of Sir Richard Burton in entering these much restricted regions in the 19th century. Again, thank you for sharing these! All very best regards, and a very happy new year! Jim