Oman Jambiya For Comments

Conogre · 24th February 2005, 03:00 PM

I've finally obtained what I think is a genuine, Omani style Jambiya for my collection, and thought I'd ask some opinions on it to see if I'm anywhere near on target.
I think that this is basically a "social climber's knife", that is, a knife made to appear to be much more than it really is if viewed in the light of a status symbol for wear with formal attire. The "mark" or symbol on the back of the hilt I find interesting, as all that I've seen in the past were relatively plain and it seems out of place.
As always, any and all comments are appreciated, both pro and con, as I plead guilty to being anal-retentive and obsessive when it comes to minute or trivial details.**grin**
Mike

Yannis · 24th February 2005, 05:32 PM

The symbol of Saudi Arabia

derek · 24th February 2005, 05:59 PM

Mike, Congratulations, this is an excellent jambiya. I love this form with the silver braided between the rings instead of stitched across the leather. I have seen a handful of these and they are usually very expensive. I passed one up in Dubai at $150 and I still regret it. What was I thinking?

Artzi may be able to say without looking it up, but I'll try to peg it to a bani (family) when I can get to my books later.

The blade looks quite old, which is even rarer as they do not legally allow old blades out of Oman (don't know about Saudi).

And another rare feature is the old belt. All in all, a fantastic find.

-d

Conogre · 24th February 2005, 07:42 PM

Thank you.....I'm very pleased with it after 1/2 dozen of the obvious tourist pieces, to say the least.
I noticed many areas with a greenish residue, leading me to think that it was silvered brass rather than silver, and likewise, there's what looks and feels like plastic amongst the leatherwork, both of which seemed out of place when compared to the rest of it.
Somehow, Saudi never occurred to me.
Mike

derek · 24th February 2005, 08:23 PM

The silver alloy is pretty standard. This dagger has had some addons over the years, again not unusual. See pics of one of mine below. The plastic - I don't know, would have to see it, but it doesn't matter. It's very likely that this was being wron by someone up until fairly recently and they were willing to use anything they could get to make repairs. A bedouin wouldn't necessarily refuse plastic just because it's "not authentic".

Don't make too much of origins when trying to pin it to a country either. Those borders have been quite fluid for some time and even today there are large swathes of desert that are not clearly defined as borders between countries like Oman and the UAE. If I can find a reference to a family for the style it will help, but I'll have to look later.

That's a good, genuine and well-used jambiya.

-d

ariel · 24th February 2005, 09:36 PM

Check this out:
http://forums.swordforum.com/showthr...hlight=jambiya

Apparently, the number of rings may have certain significance and a 4-ring one may have a better chance of being "authentic" than the 7-ring one.
Any additional insights?

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 26th January 2014, 04:51 PM

24th February 2005, 03:00 PM	#1
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Oman Jambiya For Comments I've finally obtained what I think is a genuine, Omani style Jambiya for my collection, and thought I'd ask some opinions on it to see if I'm anywhere near on target. I think that this is basically a "social climber's knife", that is, a knife made to appear to be much more than it really is if viewed in the light of a status symbol for wear with formal attire. The "mark" or symbol on the back of the hilt I find interesting, as all that I've seen in the past were relatively plain and it seems out of place. As always, any and all comments are appreciated, both pro and con, as I plead guilty to being anal-retentive and obsessive when it comes to minute or trivial details.grin Mike Attached Images

24th February 2005, 05:32 PM	#2
Yannis Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Athens Greece Posts: 479	The symbol of Saudi Arabia Attached Images

24th February 2005, 05:59 PM	#3
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	Excellent Mike, Congratulations, this is an excellent jambiya. I love this form with the silver braided between the rings instead of stitched across the leather. I have seen a handful of these and they are usually very expensive. I passed one up in Dubai at $150 and I still regret it. What was I thinking? Artzi may be able to say without looking it up, but I'll try to peg it to a bani (family) when I can get to my books later. The blade looks quite old, which is even rarer as they do not legally allow old blades out of Oman (don't know about Saudi). And another rare feature is the old belt. All in all, a fantastic find. -d

24th February 2005, 07:42 PM	#4
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Thank you.....I'm very pleased with it after 1/2 dozen of the obvious tourist pieces, to say the least. I noticed many areas with a greenish residue, leading me to think that it was silvered brass rather than silver, and likewise, there's what looks and feels like plastic amongst the leatherwork, both of which seemed out of place when compared to the rest of it. Somehow, Saudi never occurred to me. Mike

24th February 2005, 08:23 PM	#5
derek Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 215	The silver alloy is pretty standard. This dagger has had some addons over the years, again not unusual. See pics of one of mine below. The plastic - I don't know, would have to see it, but it doesn't matter. It's very likely that this was being wron by someone up until fairly recently and they were willing to use anything they could get to make repairs. A bedouin wouldn't necessarily refuse plastic just because it's "not authentic". Don't make too much of origins when trying to pin it to a country either. Those borders have been quite fluid for some time and even today there are large swathes of desert that are not clearly defined as borders between countries like Oman and the UAE. If I can find a reference to a family for the style it will help, but I'll have to look later. That's a good, genuine and well-used jambiya. -d

24th February 2005, 09:36 PM	#6
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Check this out: http://forums.swordforum.com/showthr...hlight=jambiya Apparently, the number of rings may have certain significance and a 4-ring one may have a better chance of being "authentic" than the 7-ring one. Any additional insights?

26th January 2014, 04:51 PM	#7
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408