Marsh Arab (Iraqi)? Jambiya

Lee · 9th October 2015, 03:00 PM

harrywagner's thread on his Kurdish dagger on his Kurdish dagger brought similarities with this dagger to mind and following Kubur's inquiry on variations on this theme, I thought I would post this jambiya for comments.

I saw similar themed niello work on a silverwork item in a London antique shop and the owner of the shop, who was of Iraqi origin, indicated it was typical of items associated with the 'Marsh' Arabs.

I apologize that my photo setup does poorly with highly reflective items.

A.alnakkas · 9th October 2015, 06:15 PM

Hey Lee,

Basically, Iraqi arms is one of the most poorly researched fields. Mainly, because Iraqi stuff often look like Syrian (the swords at least)

When it comes to those niello daggers (and swords) with river scenes and some times gold coins, the subject is slightly better known at least by Arabs than compared to other styles. These are made by Sabaean silversmiths who made various items. Sometimes you find redressed items and very good blades too with these silver niello decoration.

There was a shop owned by a Sabaean that specialized in this, I had a note about it somewhere that I cant find at the moment. I think the shop was closed in the 70's and was very popular in Iraq.

Lee · 9th October 2015, 08:03 PM

Thank you again; a Google search for 'Sabaean niello' proved productive. My pictures hide a very nicely bold wootz Damascus blade with a very well formed mid rib. I expect someone was once quite proud of this jambiya.

A.alnakkas · 9th October 2015, 09:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lee

Thank you again; a Google search for 'Sabaean niello' proved productive. My pictures hide a very nicely bold wootz Damascus blade with a very well formed mid rib. I expect someone was once quite proud of this jambiya.

Well the maker certainly is, he has his name on it, Work of Nasser :-)

I had a very fine one, with a Persian blade.. I am sure I have photos somewhere. Gave it off for a friend who saved me from a very awkward situation. Will try and get photos of it.

Not all their products have the river scene.. some is very similar to the Caucasian stuff.

harrywagner · 9th October 2015, 08:04 PM

Good find Lee. That's a real beauty!

Kubur · 9th October 2015, 10:05 PM

Hi Guys,

It's really a beautifull dagger!
Tell me if I'm wrong:

I think it's the river Tigris.
And the ruins are the palace of the Sassanian king in ctesiphon.
Just 30km from Bagdad!

Kubur

estcrh · 10th October 2015, 08:25 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kubur

Hi Guys,

It's really a beautifull dagger!
Tell me if I'm wrong:

I think it's the river Tigris.
And the ruins are the palace of the Sassanian king in ctesiphon.
Just 30km from Bagdad!

Kubur

Kuber, you are right.

Quote:

PALACE OF SHAPUR I, Ctesiphon, Iraq
The son and successor of Artaxerxes, Shapur I, built a great palace at Ctesiphon, the capital his father had established near modern day Baghdad in Iraq. The central feature of Shapur’s palace was the monumental iwan, or brick audience hall, covered by a vault (here, a deep arch over an oblong space) that came almost to a point of more than 100 feet above the ground. A series of horizontal bands made up of blind arcades (a series of arches without openings, applied as wall decoration) divide the facade to the left and right of the iwan.
The New Persian empire (Sasanian) endured more than 400 years, until the Arabs drove the Sasanians out of Mesopotamia in 636 CE, just four years after the death of Muhammad. But the prestige of Sasanian art and architecture outlasted the empire. A thousand years after Shapur built his palace at Ctesiphon, Islamic architects still considered its soaring iwan as the standing for judging their own engineering feats.

Lee · 11th October 2015, 02:59 PM

I guess I should have suspected that the scene was of a real place on the basis of it being repeated on several items I have seen, but I failed to make the connection and thank you, Kubur and estcrh, for the image and information.

On eBay I saw other items so decorated, and read that many of the small silver items were made as souvenirs for servicemen in 1915-1918 in Amara (along the Tigris) where there was a British military hospital.

A. alnakkas, I think Nasser had a right to be proud of his work on this piece, though some of the excellent detail may be a result of a larger 'canvas.' I have attached a zoom into one of the pictures above with a bit of contrast enhancement to show the wootz pattern. Considering the quality of the blade, do you think this dagger was made for local use or is it from the higher end of the items made for travelers?

9th October 2015, 03:00 PM	#1
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 914	Marsh Arab (Iraqi)? Jambiya harrywagner's thread on his Kurdish dagger on his Kurdish dagger brought similarities with this dagger to mind and following Kubur's inquiry on variations on this theme, I thought I would post this jambiya for comments. I saw similar themed niello work on a silverwork item in a London antique shop and the owner of the shop, who was of Iraqi origin, indicated it was typical of items associated with the 'Marsh' Arabs. I apologize that my photo setup does poorly with highly reflective items. Attached Images

9th October 2015, 08:03 PM	#3
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 914	Early 20th century... Thank you again; a Google search for 'Sabaean niello' proved productive. My pictures hide a very nicely bold wootz Damascus blade with a very well formed mid rib. I expect someone was once quite proud of this jambiya.

9th October 2015, 10:05 PM	#6
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	Hi Guys, It's really a beautifull dagger! Tell me if I'm wrong: I think it's the river Tigris. And the ruins are the palace of the Sassanian king in ctesiphon. Just 30km from Bagdad! Kubur Attached Images

11th October 2015, 02:59 PM	#8
Lee EAAF Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Location: Upstate New York, USA Posts: 914	I guess I should have suspected that the scene was of a real place on the basis of it being repeated on several items I have seen, but I failed to make the connection and thank you, Kubur and estcrh, for the image and information. On eBay I saw other items so decorated, and read that many of the small silver items were made as souvenirs for servicemen in 1915-1918 in Amara (along the Tigris) where there was a British military hospital. A. alnakkas, I think Nasser had a right to be proud of his work on this piece, though some of the excellent detail may be a result of a larger 'canvas.' I have attached a zoom into one of the pictures above with a bit of contrast enhancement to show the wootz pattern. Considering the quality of the blade, do you think this dagger was made for local use or is it from the higher end of the items made for travelers? Attached Images

9th October 2015, 06:15 PM	#2
A.alnakkas Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Kuwait Posts: 1,340	Hey Lee, Basically, Iraqi arms is one of the most poorly researched fields. Mainly, because Iraqi stuff often look like Syrian (the swords at least) When it comes to those niello daggers (and swords) with river scenes and some times gold coins, the subject is slightly better known at least by Arabs than compared to other styles. These are made by Sabaean silversmiths who made various items. Sometimes you find redressed items and very good blades too with these silver niello decoration. There was a shop owned by a Sabaean that specialized in this, I had a note about it somewhere that I cant find at the moment. I think the shop was closed in the 70's and was very popular in Iraq.

9th October 2015, 08:04 PM	#5
harrywagner Member Join Date: Jul 2015 Posts: 373	Good find Lee. That's a real beauty!