Huge Jambiya/Khoumiya

Conogre · 8th May 2005, 05:08 PM

A couple of months ago Justin posted photos of a S. Moroccan Jambiya which I belive is also called a khoumiya and it got little response, including from myself, but when he brought it over to the house, my reaction was entirely different, as illustrated by the point that it now resides in MY collection!

The overall meaxurements are 25" in scabbard, 24" for the knife alone with a 13" blade and a weight of a full 3 1/2 pounds!
Aside from the obvious size, other unusual characteristics are that the repouse is exceptionally well done and that the rear of the weapon is as intricate as the front, with most, to my knowledge, being plain brass or white metal on the back and that this piece also has a brass ricasso welded on the front and rear of the blade.
My apologies for the number of photos, but I'm sincerely hoping that some worthwhile comments can be gleaned once the unusual size is fully realized as it has piqued my curiosity to the extreme and seems to be anything BUT a tourist piece.
Mike

tom hyle · 9th May 2005, 12:00 AM

Dang, it Conogre, you know we want to see more blade

Interesting. The work does not look worn, and the jewels seem newish for some reason; lack of wear to the bezels etc? the triple pommel spike thingy reminds of billao, and the square pommel/nut is seen on Swahili(?) swords? The overlay reminds of Tuareg blades......the metalwork reminds of Spanish, perhaps not surprisingly, and it reminds of layered leather work. The ends on the metalwork seem to be bound with cast (?) rings? We have seen another giant-pommel khoumiya, but with an ordinary sized blade, I think.....The one that's above the biggie in the group shot seems similar to one I have; what thoughts on it?

Conogre · 18th May 2005, 06:51 AM

Bump.
I'm truly surprised that this one has garnered so little comment in both posts, by Justin and myself.
My primary thought on it, Tom, is simple awe over the size of it and the extreme quality amd intricacy of the metalwork.
The "jewels" appear to be glass, each with silver edges welded all the way around it to hold them in place, not plastic as in the typical "T-word" bazaar pieces, with the four round ones 1/2" across and the long rectangular red one a full 1 1/2" long, and even the thick brass affixing rings are extremely detailed.
The blade on this one is unsharpened, but not "flat" as in so many tourist pieces, with a definite taper toward the edges, more in the line of an unissued military sword with the brass "ferule" actually welded onto both sides of the blade.....the blade is also nearly twice the thickness of a traditional jambiya blade as well, by the way, actually thicker than both my kaskara and takouba.
Even estimating age on this one is extremely difficult, as whomever had it kept it in nearly pristine condition with none of the usual indicators of age present, while at the same time, not conspicuoisly absent, if that makes any sense.
I keep hoping that Artzi or one of the other middle eastern sages will notice and at least give me their impressions.
One possibility, of course, is that it was made for display purposes to showcase his abilities by a craftesman hoping to attract high end consignees, such as those 3' balisongs from Manilla, with another being that it was made simply as a presentation piece for a highly regarded dignitary or friend.
In all truthfullness, I find it hard to visualize anyone actually using this simply because it is so heavy and unwieldy, whle it would DEFINITELY work if one was going strictly for prestige or impressiveness.
Mike

Mark · 18th May 2005, 02:31 PM

Perhaps it belonged to a sheik who was ... um ... overcompensating?

It occured to me that it might be a sort of sign -- a display piece that a smith or fitting craftsman might hang in or outside his shop to show off and/or advertise the quality of his work.

8th May 2005, 05:08 PM	#1
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Huge Jambiya/Khoumiya A couple of months ago Justin posted photos of a S. Moroccan Jambiya which I belive is also called a khoumiya and it got little response, including from myself, but when he brought it over to the house, my reaction was entirely different, as illustrated by the point that it now resides in MY collection! The overall meaxurements are 25" in scabbard, 24" for the knife alone with a 13" blade and a weight of a full 3 1/2 pounds! Aside from the obvious size, other unusual characteristics are that the repouse is exceptionally well done and that the rear of the weapon is as intricate as the front, with most, to my knowledge, being plain brass or white metal on the back and that this piece also has a brass ricasso welded on the front and rear of the blade. My apologies for the number of photos, but I'm sincerely hoping that some worthwhile comments can be gleaned once the unusual size is fully realized as it has piqued my curiosity to the extreme and seems to be anything BUT a tourist piece. Mike Attached Images

18th May 2005, 06:51 AM	#3
Conogre Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Clearwater, Florida Posts: 371	Bump. I'm truly surprised that this one has garnered so little comment in both posts, by Justin and myself. My primary thought on it, Tom, is simple awe over the size of it and the extreme quality amd intricacy of the metalwork. The "jewels" appear to be glass, each with silver edges welded all the way around it to hold them in place, not plastic as in the typical "T-word" bazaar pieces, with the four round ones 1/2" across and the long rectangular red one a full 1 1/2" long, and even the thick brass affixing rings are extremely detailed. The blade on this one is unsharpened, but not "flat" as in so many tourist pieces, with a definite taper toward the edges, more in the line of an unissued military sword with the brass "ferule" actually welded onto both sides of the blade.....the blade is also nearly twice the thickness of a traditional jambiya blade as well, by the way, actually thicker than both my kaskara and takouba. Even estimating age on this one is extremely difficult, as whomever had it kept it in nearly pristine condition with none of the usual indicators of age present, while at the same time, not conspicuoisly absent, if that makes any sense. I keep hoping that Artzi or one of the other middle eastern sages will notice and at least give me their impressions. One possibility, of course, is that it was made for display purposes to showcase his abilities by a craftesman hoping to attract high end consignees, such as those 3' balisongs from Manilla, with another being that it was made simply as a presentation piece for a highly regarded dignitary or friend. In all truthfullness, I find it hard to visualize anyone actually using this simply because it is so heavy and unwieldy, whle it would DEFINITELY work if one was going strictly for prestige or impressiveness. Mike Attached Images Last edited by Conogre; 18th May 2005 at 07:07 AM.

9th May 2005, 12:00 AM	#2
tom hyle Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Houston, TX, USA Posts: 1,254	Dang, it Conogre, you know we want to see more blade Interesting. The work does not look worn, and the jewels seem newish for some reason; lack of wear to the bezels etc? the triple pommel spike thingy reminds of billao, and the square pommel/nut is seen on Swahili(?) swords? The overlay reminds of Tuareg blades......the metalwork reminds of Spanish, perhaps not surprisingly, and it reminds of layered leather work. The ends on the metalwork seem to be bound with cast (?) rings? We have seen another giant-pommel khoumiya, but with an ordinary sized blade, I think.....The one that's above the biggie in the group shot seems similar to one I have; what thoughts on it?

18th May 2005, 02:31 PM	#4
Mark Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 987	Perhaps it belonged to a sheik who was ... um ... overcompensating? It occured to me that it might be a sort of sign -- a display piece that a smith or fitting craftsman might hang in or outside his shop to show off and/or advertise the quality of his work.