Old Saudi Jambiya
 

Picked this up today in trade. Early 20th century jambiya with nice silver fittings over horn came with old stud decorated scabbard with belt. The blade is in decent shape but it looks as if it has seen plenty of action. Please forgive the one shaky picture.

Lew

Looks like a nice Wahabi jambiya to add to your collection.....

Very nice Lew, and hard to find - I have one, which is much later, from the second half of last century (60s+). I am attaching it here so that everyone can see the differences.
Jose, I am not sure if Wahabi is the correct term for these khanjars. There were some excellent threads by Saqr Al-Anzi, where he pointed out that the Wahabits most likely did not use this type of khanjars. According to Elgood's book, ti be safe I would just call them Hejazi, but I have never been to KSA and I could stand corrected.
Regards,
Teodor

TVV

You are correct this style is from Hejaz :).

Lew

Very nice piece Lew. It would look good with these!! ;)
Regards, Stuart

Stuart

That is a nice looking group of Khanjars you have ;) a mix of older and newer. Newer being mid 20th century. :)


Lew

That looks like a solid old warrior Lew. Congrats.
Steve

Thanks for the comments Lew. Yes, 2 are 20th century. The one 2nd from top has the modern Saudi Crest on the lid of the green box it is sitting on. I did wonder if this had been a presentation item, though there is no documentation with it to prove this.
Stuart

I would think it was a gift to someone of status either a diplomat or a visiting businessman of importance. I like the ones that were carried and show some wear even if from the 1940s-60s.

Lew

I agree Lew that the old ones are of more interest perhaps, but the later ones still have a place I believe, even if they have not seen the "action" of the older ones.
As has been mentioned in this thread, these Jambiyas are just not that easy to get hold of, so what ever comes up (at a reasonable price) joins the collection.
The presentation one was the first I managed to acquire, and at a VERY ---IMO---cheap price --US$90!!
Stuart