Albanian Jambiya
 

Hello All!

I recently bought this nice Albanian Jambiya at a local gun/knife show. I wanted one of these for a while and is now my favorite pice in my collection! It is good quality with a nice walrus ivory hilt and good blade. I was told by the person I bought it from said it might be watered steel but it is too darkend by age to tell. Should I clean it up and see if it is watered steel? How would I go about doing that? It is about 14" overall with a 8 1/2" blade and a 5" hilt. It had a small crack in one side of the hilt that I needed to repair with glue but other than that it is very sturdy with no loosness in the blade and the hilt is in good condition exept for the already mentioned crack. I think it is probaly 19th century, could anyone pin it down a little better? All comments are welcome! :D

Mark...

Nice jambiya Mark, congratulations. I think you should deffinitely check the blade. First you need to clean it, then wash it in warm water, dry with a towel and etch it. Vinegar diluted in hot water has worked for me. After you have etched it to a satisfying result, wash again with soap (to neutralize the acid, this is important), and then dry again with a towel and do not apply any oil.
You may want to search the forum for older threads on how to go about this, and I am sure you will get plenty of other opinions here too.
Regards,
Teodor

No other comments?

Beautifull thing... A most typical example of albanian jambiya. Gorgeus marine ivory hilt and probably a damascus blade. If you intend to sell it search no further, just contact me. :o)

I have grown to llike Albanian jambiya like this. I think the blade will come out wonderfully and I would not be surprised that it is wootz. Blade looks complete, not cut down. Congrats!

Here are the picture of the blade a pttern is there but it only came out slightly. Are these jambiya's found only in Albania or are thary also found in areas like Kosovo and Montenegro? Help Please!

Mark...

Hi Mark,

Very nice piece you have there. I have an article called "Head-Hunting in the Balkans", Durham M. Edith, Man Vol23 (1923):19-21
It mentions a practice in Montenegro of taking ennemy heads as late as the turn of the 20th century. Apparently they used "the short and heavy 'hanzhar'" never for stabbing but to sever the head at one blow.
This is confusing because I assume hanzhar to be "khanjar" which is the jambiya you're showing...which is a stabbing weapon. I think such a khanjar as yours may have been used in Kosovo and Montenegro, possibly due to Albanian presence. Now if you look at the Serbian knives, they're very different...almost like small yataghan knives...those could be used to sever heads maybe.
I can send you the article if you're interest.
Regards,
Emanuel

For your khanjar blade you may want to keep on etching until the pattern comes out. IT takes time and effort and several attempts.

Hello Manolo!

I would like you to send me the article please my E-mail adress is below. Thanks! I think that these khanjars can sever a head so these might very well be the ones rtefered too in the article.

badikpinang@yahoo.com.my

Mark...

This question is a bit off topic but does anyone have any good photos of Albanian traditional attire? All I can find on the web are either blury or small. Thanks.

Mark...

Hi Manolo

Is it possible to forward the article to me as well? nvujas@yahoo.com

Would very much appreciate it.

Thanks!