The Omani Khanjar

[NovelsRus]

Salaams, Ibrahiim,

What an incredible coincidence -- you advised use of toothbrush and paste, which is precisely what I stumbled upon myself, just yesterday. Great minds thinking alike, etc.

Actually dug out a lot of the broken resin, then heated the back of the blade red-hot over a fire in my ashtray, jammed the back of the blade into the remaining resin and -- viola! It seated itself!

To be safe, I did line the new seal with epoxy, let it cure for a day, then drilled it down far enough so the hilt could fit onto the scabbard (which is sparkling cleaning and brand spanking new, thanks to the ol' toothbrush - n - silver cream polish treatment!)

Result? The little khanjar shines, is functional and beautiful. Even though the seller offered to refund our purchase price, I chose to keep it and repair it. Now my wife no longer gives me The Look....you know the one.


Only problem now is, where to hang it? (Please see pics attached)

* Above the big Scimitar?
* Above the Koummyas?
* Or leave it in its current spot?
* Right below the flag from my father's coffin (WWII Vet)?

And HOW to hang it on a wall without damaging the khanjar or the belt? Hmmmm.... Any ideas greatly appreciated.

All best,
JRF

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by NovelsRus

Salaams, Ibrahiim,

What an incredible coincidence -- you advised use of toothbrush and paste, which is precisely what I stumbled upon myself, just yesterday. Great minds thinking alike, etc.

Actually dug out a lot of the broken resin, then heated the back of the blade red-hot over a fire in my ashtray, jammed the back of the blade into the remaining resin and -- viola! It seated itself!

To be safe, I did line the new seal with epoxy, let it cure for a day, then drilled it down far enough so the hilt could fit onto the scabbard (which is sparkling cleaning and brand spanking new, thanks to the ol' toothbrush - n - silver cream polish treatment!)

Result? The little khanjar shines, is functional and beautiful. Even though the seller offered to refund our purchase price, I chose to keep it and repair it. Now my wife no longer gives me The Look....you know the one.


Only problem now is, where to hang it? (Please see pics attached)

* Above the big Scimitar?
* Above the Koummyas?
* Or leave it in its current spot?
* Right below the flag from my father's coffin (WWII Vet)?

And HOW to hang it on a wall without damaging the khanjar or the belt? Hmmmm.... Any ideas greatly appreciated.

All best,
JRF

Salaams NovelsRus ~ I think it looks great exactly where it is.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all, I am sometimes asked why we clean Khanjars (and Swords) thus taking off what collectors call Patina.

Naturally collectors admire and seek that syndrome we call patina but in the living breathing form i.e. Local Arab users of what we call ethnographic arms here in Arabia the view is different. These khanjars are for wearing and against a pure white dishdash, Omani national dress, the weapons must be spotlessly clean... Otherwise the silver oxide makes an awful mess as it rubs off onto the white dishdash robes ! Its as simple as that. It is for that reason that Khanjars are lined at the back with either leather or felt cloth. Perhaps if you think of gold as the sun and silver the moon neither should be portrayed as dull...It should be remembered that they are the badge of office as head of the family, thus, can hardly be worn dirty.
Quite often khanjars come in for cleaning... removal of the patina... but rest assured patina on silver returns really fast. It is continually oxidising ... In the store we have new items under glass which oxidise quite slowly and other khanjars... 50 or so hanging on the wall... that are full of patina ... A local client will often ask that a khanjar is cleaned before he takes it... It takes an hour... We use the same items as our silver workshops ... water and a brass bristled brush which only takes off the silver oxide and gives a burnished bright clean silver look... highly polished the khanjar is then dried in the sun, buffed with a clean cloth and ready for collection.
Of course this is opposite to what many collectors want... but as I say... patina on silver returns very quickly and in a few months it is complete ... at which point the collector may wish to highlight certain aspects of the silver in a partial polish up thus keeping the contrasting older patina partly intact.

Technically we don't actually remove patina but only by definition remove the "silver oxide" The old, rounded, soft effect to silver items is therefor enhanced but I hope my explanation describes the two views of the same subject.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[A.alnakkas]

Great info Ibrahim, makes alot of sense. Thanks.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams, Note to Forum;
Another Baatina design, Showing a slightly smaller size to the normal Omani Khanjar. Rhino hilt with several hundred silver pins hammered in for design and weight. The top silver hilt button snapped off. Eye of the Bedouin style pattern stitching below the belt section. Fine work behind the scenes especially in the hilt. The blade should be viewed with the eye but to hand a sprig of nutmeg, cloves, tyme, frankinsence since that is what a good blade smells of .. as does this one ~ and struck with a flicked finger the sound is of striking thick iron not thin tin. There is no ring, just a thud!
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all; Note to Forum.

I have described in some detail the living ethnographics of Oman seen through the eyes of The Omani Khanjar and Omani swords. To the untrained eye these may appear as copies. Essentially they are, however, they need to be viewed as hand made copies of an exact style demanded by the particular tribe or expected of a specific regional design.

To that end no additional designs are permitted. You cannot , for example, tell a silversmith to design a khanjar(or a piece of traditional Omani jewellery) with your own idea of what it could look like i.e. It must conform to the laid down pattern (or one of them) of that region from its history.

Therefor when producing a new Khanjar for say a UAE KHANJAR OF THE RULING FAMILY (see # 14) we look at originals in museums and take photographs and do research to determine what we can and cannot do. There may be a specific hilt or a choice of hilts and we may have some say in the quality of blade, however, in general and over all, the khanjar must be a faithful copy of the original style..absolutely. By original I mean of a Khanjar which is the oldest available ~ often going back about 100 years.

The same applies for daggers etc from other regions;

There is no such thing as a dagger or a sword or a piece of Islamic jewellery which is not a faithful copy of a previous item.

The character and appearance of a specific family dagger which may have begun life more or less identical to another from the same family does, however, change through the years not just by being added to (with the half dozen or so accoutrements and any one of scores of different belts) or by the slight variance in the patina but by allowable changes in blade and hilt and by repairs.

So for the serious student of Omani Khanjars and other regional ethnographics it is vital to hoist in the basic lesson; The Copy.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[spiral]

Namaste Ibrahiim!

I must admit that just by eye I can often see the quality of workmanship & use of tools in manufacture in many items,both new & old.

It occurs with copy weapons in India & Nepal as well.

The old adage, "OFTEN COPIED BUT NEVER DUPLICATED" springs to mind.

Spiral

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by spiral

Namaste Ibrahiim!

I must admit that just by eye I can often see the quality of workmanship & use of tools in manufacture in many items,both new & old.

It occurs with copy weapons in India & Nepal as well.

The old adage, "OFTEN COPIED BUT NEVER DUPLICATED" springs to mind.

Spiral

Salaams Spiral ~ I was trying to think how to say copied by hand are always individual ... but you beat me to it with that excellent saying!! Shukran. Its a bit like making Rolls Royces !
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

[eric45]

very nice.

[NovelsRus]

Salaams, Ibrahiim,

You advised, "I think it looks great exactly where it is."

I couldn't agree more! Although I'd still like to see it up high on my wall, I think the potential hazards outweigh the aesthetics.

Also, on that Baatista design, why are there only four rings, not seven? Is it only the Royal Omani Khanjar that gets 7 rings?

Thanks again, and sorry for the quality of my last photos. It was night, and I was in a hurry to snap the photos and send 'em on before I fell asleep at the wheel, so to speak.

Sincere best wishes,

JRF
P.S. I still think the Royal Omani Khanjar is the most beautiful dress dagger in all Arabia. Of course, I may be somewhat biased.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by NovelsRus

Salaams, Ibrahiim,

You advised, "I think it looks great exactly where it is."

I couldn't agree more! Although I'd still like to see it up high on my wall, I think the potential hazards outweigh the aesthetics.

Also, on that Baatista design, why are there only four rings, not seven? Is it only the Royal Omani Khanjar that gets 7 rings?

Thanks again, and sorry for the quality of my last photos. It was night, and I was in a hurry to snap the photos and send 'em on before I fell asleep at the wheel, so to speak.

Sincere best wishes,

JRF
P.S. I still think the Royal Omani Khanjar is the most beautiful dress dagger in all Arabia. Of course, I may be somewhat biased.

Salaams NovelsRus, Baatina(Coastal Oman) technically from Muscat north and north west up the coast as far as Mussandam; here and in other Omani regions they sport the 4 ringer Khanjar. In Muscat there is a 7 ringer with an ordinary Tee shaped hilt and in addition to this there is the Royal Khanjar 7 ringer with the fancy hilt. Occasionally Muscat Khanjars appear with 8 rings(just to confuse the issue) and all I can say about rings is that without them the whole structure would fall apart... They are very much what holds the whole ensemble together forming the belt section. I agree that the Royal Khanjar is a superb looking weapon. Thanks for the post...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams All; Note to Forum.

For something a little different I include here a Khanjar of UAE style (a photo of a photo)and said to have been sold 23 years ago on the passing of the owner. Now one of the sons wishes to have a Khanjar of equal style and quality copied from the original seen here. It is said to have been constructed in Dubai in the old souk (now gone).

The peculiar part is that the cuff of the dagger and throat of the scabbard and the crown are matching "neilo style" something rarely seen in Khanjars. The hilt is Rhino with silver pins, gold buttons, central gold ferule and there is extensive goldwork in the scabbard. I have no shot of the blade(I only had one photo to work with) but suspect a fine quality item.
All I have to do now is build one identical to this!

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Michael Blalock]

Here are some photos of an Omani Khanjar that just arrived. It's a classic and goes with my Omani swords.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Michael Blalock

Here are some photos of an Omani Khanjar that just arrived. It's a classic and goes with my Omani swords.

Salaams Michael Blalock ~ Interesting Khanjar. Looks like Rhino in the hilt. This looks like the Royal Khanjar style though perhaps restyled below the belt which makes it a 4 ringer.. My guess is this carries a re-styled scabbard but from which region? Salalah?
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Michael Blalock]

Yes, Ibrahiim, the hilt is identical to this one.
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s853_full.html

You could replace all the missing parts on either hilt if you had the other, but the scabbards are quite different.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Michael Blalock

Yes, Ibrahiim, the hilt is identical to this one.
http://www.swordsantiqueweapons.com/s853_full.html

You could replace all the missing parts on either hilt if you had the other, but the scabbards are quite different.

Salaams Michael Blalock~ It is confirmed that #44 is a Salalah Khanjar but the hilt being Royal by design. The criss cross wire of the scabbard being an indicator though not all Salalah scabbards are like this; some are.

On the two hilts at # 46, I would even say these were made by the same silversmith such are the precise similarities
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams All ~ Note to Forum;

The Khanjar.

It occurred to me that using silver pins hammered into Omani Khanjar Hilts is done for several reasons;

1. To add weight and balance to the hilt.
2. To add value since the weight of several hundred silver pins is considerable.
3. To decorate the hilt... specifically Rhino since other materials would split where as Rhino accepts the myriad of pins without breaking.
4. Prestige; since it can be seen from a distance and at a glance that here is a Khanjar with Rhino Hilt thus the wearer is a person of some standing.
5. To emulate the spaghetti ended look of Rhino Horn in the pommel top.

It may be an important discovery notwithstanding the fact that a lot of Royal Khanjars have Rhino Hilts (their hilt design is very different) the use of pins in other Omani Khanjars seems to be hand in hand with Rhino Horn useage.
It occurred to me that this one animal had an astonishing influence upon Omani Khanjars up to and beyond the inclusion in design in the mid 19th Century of the Royal Khanjar which though only a tiny fraction of the hilt is showing almost all were constructed of Rhino Horn. Non Royal variants must, if they are to have serious worth, be Rhino Hilted.

The Rhino.
I have discovered that 11 hilts could be made from the large horn whilst 3 were possible from the small horn.. Richardson and Dorr "The Craft Herritage of Oman" refers.
The Rhino thus is involved in some powerful influence on this weapon...The African trade factor, Prestige, Power(the power possessed by a Rhino), Design of the Hilt and the practical acceptance of hammered pins, The most expensive of horns...worth more per gram than gold.

In what other ways has this animal influenced Omani Khanjar design...?

The Link.

Could the Rhino Horn, in fact, be the essentail design in the curve of the Khanjar Scabbard ? ...We may have hit the nail on the head...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Notes; For a remarkable visual of "Hilt Silver Pins" comparing the design to Rhino Horn natural form; view http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=15905 at picture 5 on #1.

[spiral]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

It occurred to me that using silver pins hammered into Omani Khanjar Hilts is done for several reasons;

1. To add weight and balance to the hilt.
2. To add value since the weight of several hundred silver pins is considerable.
3. To decorate the hilt... specifically Rhino since other materials would split where as Rhino accepts the myriad of pins without breaking.
4. Prestige; since it can be seen from a distance and at a glance that here is a Khanjar with Rhino Hilt thus the wearer is a person of some standing.
5. To emulate the spaghetti ended look of Rhino Horn in the pommel top.

.

1, I agree.

2, I agree.

3,I agree.

4,I agree

5, Not sure realy. Eye of the beholder i guess...

6. Last but perhaps not of least importance,to provide a sturdy grip to wet,sweaty or even bloody hands.... Usefull in the times it was still a weapon Im sure.

spiral

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by spiral

1, I agree.

2, I agree.

3,I agree.

4,I agree

5, Not sure realy. Eye of the beholder i guess...

6. Last but perhaps not of least importance,to provide a sturdy grip to wet,sweaty or even bloody hands.... Usefull in the times it was still a weapon Im sure.

spiral

Salaams Spiral ~ It is still a weapon.

Lest we forget the blade was designed "it is said" as a skinning weapon and certainly slippery hands covered in blood would be normal... I would go further into the realms of the Rhino story by indicating that Rhino skin was favoured for the Omani Terrs .. The Buckler battle shield further indicating the influence of this great animal in the history of Omani weaponry.

I urge you to reconsider point 5 above... the pins are a masterful takeoff of the pattern of the spaghetti ends ~ and the entire arguement, discussion, and debate is pinned to that ('scuse pun). From this detail I attach the full on disclosure of the shape of the Omani Scabbard being directly linked to the Rhino Horn design / shape. There is virtually no other practical reason that holds water ~ the key indicators being ~

1. Sea Trade influence with Africa.(availability of Rhino Horn)
2. The prowess of the Rhino ( Power ! Prestige ! Price ! )
3. Practicality( non slip, easy to decorate, translucency with age etc)
4. The fact that the best Terrs shields were taken from Rhino Hide.
5. Looks like a Rhino horn shape.
6. The best hilt is Rhino so why not the scabbard design?

I therefor submit to Forum that the shape of the Omani Khanjar Scabbard is directly related to the Rhino Horn.

Cautionary note: There is some discussion in my team at this time over the origin of material for the Terrs which on one hand appears to be from a land animal waterbuffalo or Rhino? and on the other from a sea animal they call sea dog... probably walruss ... It may be that it is from both. These days I have encountered wooden and reed variants and modern poly/resin products.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[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

[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.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams ~ Note to Forum.

The most exotic hilts are of course Rhino or Elephant tusk however several other materials are used including cowhorn (Bakar). Below is a typical hilt showing silver pins (very small silver nails) hammered into the bone close to each other but not too close or the bone will split... something that doesn't happen to Rhino.
Sometimes sandal wood hilts can be found... which are the most expensive of the wooden hilts.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams All~ Note for Forum; I thought it was time to look at Khanjar Belts. In Oman belts are either woven geometric patterns on cloth or leather with the pattern stitched with silver thread. see..http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...OMANI+KHANJARS at #16 to view a belt in the making.
There are several variants...some 3 cms some up to 6 cms wide. Essentially and for comfortable wearing~ the bigger the man the broader the belt. The first is a fat belt; fully six cms wide. The rectangular pattern common in Oman though the heart shaped design is less common. On with the pictures !

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.