Zanzibar or Omani Jambiya?

mrcjgscott · 26th February 2016, 12:57 PM

Hello all,

A good friend of mine, knowing of my interest in all things Gurkha, recently showed me this "kukri"!!

I explained that rather than a kukri, it was infact a Jambiya, and a half decent one at that. He was understandably crestfallen, but heartened slightly when i explained a little about it, and its likely origin.

Having read some of the threads about Jambiya on the forum but would like to learn more, both for myself, and to pass along to my friend.

It appears to be old and well worn, and it has some unusual features and also (perhaps) repairs?
It looks like some of the silver nails on the horn hilt have been replaced, especially on the top of the hilt. It also has some on the rear & sides of the pommel as well , perhaps to help hold on a replaced piece of horn where it had been broken in the past..

Interestingly on the scabbard the central 2 rings are faceted whilst the outer ones are smooth.

I would also like to know, if possible where it originated, is it Omani? Do the symbols or patterns in the silver chain stitching have a particular meaning? Do the roundels deliberately mimic the Omani or Zanzibar shield perhaps? Or something else?

I would guess it might be late 19th century, or perhaps early 20th century?

I am hoping other forum members can shed a little more light on it.

Thank you in advance,

Chris

harrywagner · 26th February 2016, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrcjgscott

Hello all,

A good friend of mine, knowing of my interest in all things Gurkha, recently showed me this "kukri"!!

I explained that rather than a kukri, it was infact a Jambiya, and a half decent one at that. He was understandably crestfallen, but heartened slightly when i explained a little about it, and its likely origin.

Having read some of the threads about Jambiya on the forum but would like to learn more, both for myself, and to pass along to my friend.

It appears to be old and well worn, and it has some unusual features and also (perhaps) repairs?
It looks like some of the silver nails on the horn hilt have been replaced, especially on the top of the hilt. It also has some on the rear & sides of the pommel as well , perhaps to help hold on a replaced piece of horn where it had been broken in the past..

Interestingly on the scabbard the central 2 rings are faceted whilst the outer ones are smooth.

I would also like to know, if possible where it originated, is it Omani? Do the symbols or patterns in the silver chain stitching have a particular meaning? Do the roundels deliberately mimic the Omani or Zanzibar shield perhaps? Or something else?

I would guess it might be late 19th century, or perhaps early 20th century?

I am hoping other forum members can shed a little more light on it.

Thank you in advance,

Chris

Damn fine knife. Thanks for sharing! My money would be on it being either Omani or Saudi, and I would not be surprised if it is early 20th.

mrcjgscott · 26th February 2016, 05:16 PM

Hello Harry,

Many thanks for the information, it is all useful, and helps me learn! Are there specific ways to tell one region from another with these Jambiya?

kahnjar1 · 26th February 2016, 07:09 PM

Hi Chris,
Nice Jambiya.
I have one similar (shown here) which comes from the Sharqiyah Region of eastern Oman around the port of Sur. The scabbard wire work is similar to yours but the hilt is a slightly different, though that is not unusual.
Can not be sure, but the hilt on yours COULD be rhino as it appears to show the typical "orange peel" end grain.
Some comments about your observations.....the plain rings are likely to be replacements as it is usual for all the rings to be faceted. As far as the nails are concerned they are likely to be for decoration, unless of course there is obvious sign of a repair to the hilt.
Stu

mrcjgscott · 26th February 2016, 07:13 PM

Hi Stu,

Good to hear from you, I hope you are well?

Many thanks for the information, and for the pictures of your example, very nice indeed. Interesting that yours comes from a port region. Would such things have been carried by sailors?

Interesting that it could be a rhino horn hilt, I did wonder, but thought I would leave that to the experts here.

Is there any way I can show you more details of the hilt to help your opinion?

All the best,

Chris

kahnjar1 · 26th February 2016, 08:07 PM

https://www.google.co.nz/?gws_rd=ssl...+sharqiyah+map
Hi Chris,
As you will see from the link, The Shaqiyah region is mostly inland but has a coastal strip which includes the port of Sur. My previous comment was probably a bit misleading.
You have PM.
Stu

26th February 2016, 12:57 PM	#1
mrcjgscott Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 189	Zanzibar or Omani Jambiya? Hello all, A good friend of mine, knowing of my interest in all things Gurkha, recently showed me this "kukri"!! I explained that rather than a kukri, it was infact a Jambiya, and a half decent one at that. He was understandably crestfallen, but heartened slightly when i explained a little about it, and its likely origin. Having read some of the threads about Jambiya on the forum but would like to learn more, both for myself, and to pass along to my friend. It appears to be old and well worn, and it has some unusual features and also (perhaps) repairs? It looks like some of the silver nails on the horn hilt have been replaced, especially on the top of the hilt. It also has some on the rear & sides of the pommel as well , perhaps to help hold on a replaced piece of horn where it had been broken in the past.. Interestingly on the scabbard the central 2 rings are faceted whilst the outer ones are smooth. I would also like to know, if possible where it originated, is it Omani? Do the symbols or patterns in the silver chain stitching have a particular meaning? Do the roundels deliberately mimic the Omani or Zanzibar shield perhaps? Or something else? I would guess it might be late 19th century, or perhaps early 20th century? I am hoping other forum members can shed a little more light on it. Thank you in advance, Chris Attached Images

26th February 2016, 07:09 PM	#4
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,739	Hi Chris, Nice Jambiya. I have one similar (shown here) which comes from the Sharqiyah Region of eastern Oman around the port of Sur. The scabbard wire work is similar to yours but the hilt is a slightly different, though that is not unusual. Can not be sure, but the hilt on yours COULD be rhino as it appears to show the typical "orange peel" end grain. Some comments about your observations.....the plain rings are likely to be replacements as it is usual for all the rings to be faceted. As far as the nails are concerned they are likely to be for decoration, unless of course there is obvious sign of a repair to the hilt. Stu Attached Images

26th February 2016, 05:16 PM	#3
mrcjgscott Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 189	Hello Harry, Many thanks for the information, it is all useful, and helps me learn! Are there specific ways to tell one region from another with these Jambiya?

26th February 2016, 07:13 PM	#5
mrcjgscott Member Join Date: Mar 2011 Posts: 189	Hi Stu, Good to hear from you, I hope you are well? Many thanks for the information, and for the pictures of your example, very nice indeed. Interesting that yours comes from a port region. Would such things have been carried by sailors? Interesting that it could be a rhino horn hilt, I did wonder, but thought I would leave that to the experts here. Is there any way I can show you more details of the hilt to help your opinion? All the best, Chris

26th February 2016, 08:07 PM	#6
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,739	https://www.google.co.nz/?gws_rd=ssl...+sharqiyah+map Hi Chris, As you will see from the link, The Shaqiyah region is mostly inland but has a coastal strip which includes the port of Sur. My previous comment was probably a bit misleading. You have PM. Stu