The Omani Khanjar

[Gonzoadler]

The omani Khanjar is a very interesting dagger. To keep this thread alive I show a very old example. It is silver mounted, the hilt is made of Rhino horn and with a ring of solid gold. I think it is a very charismatic piece.

[A.alnakkas]

Lovely dagger, Gonzoadler

[Gonzoadler]

Made some spontaneous pictures of another Khanjar from my collection:


Scabbard and hilt should be antique but maybe the blade was replaced later.
I also added a macro shot of the rhino handle.

As I bought it, a little piece of parchment was with it.
Maybe anyone can help me with the translation?

Regards

[Gonzoadler]

...

[Gonzoadler]

Macro and parchment.

[Ian]

Gonzo,

The author of this thread has not been seen on these pages for a couple of years. I'm afraid you may not get very much response from the rest of us because Ibrahiim was the authority on these knives.

Ian.

[Gonzoadler]

No problem, but maybe I get some help with the inscription on the parchment, would be better than nothing.

[Peter Hudson]

The dagger with lots of black leather showing below the belt is as well as being an Omani style occasionally seen in the interior (Dhakilliyya) but is the form adopted by the UAE geographically right next door. It stars as one of the designs shown in the thread earlier. I persuaded one of my craftsmen to make some new ones a few years ago and that can be seen in the thread and others are illustrated with the same leather work . The UAE KHANJAR.

Peter Hudson.

[Gustav]

So I guess Ibrahiim is Peter Hudson now.

"All the world's a stage"

[Peter Hudson]

Originally Posted by Gustav

So I guess Ibrahiim is Peter Hudson now.

"All the world's a stage"

Hello Gustav, Indeed you could say that.

Regards, Peter Hudson.

[Kubur]

I miss Ibrahiim...

But Peter is probably more exotic.

[Peter Hudson]

Originally Posted by Kubur

I miss Ibrahiim...

But Peter is probably more exotic.

Well, I have missed your exotic posts and great knowledge but now Im back and looking forward to some great discussions.

Regards Peter Hudson.

[Gonzoadler]

Originally Posted by Peter Hudson

The dagger with lots of black leather showing below the belt is as well as being an Omani style occasionally seen in the interior (Dhakilliyya) but is the form adopted by the UAE geographically right next door. It stars as one of the designs shown in the thread earlier. I persuaded one of my craftsmen to make some new ones a few years ago and that can be seen in the thread and others are illustrated with the same leather work . The UAE KHANJAR.

Peter Hudson.

Hello,

thank you for the informations! It's nice to have somebody here again who has some knowledge about these daggers.
What do you think about the dagger I showed before with the gold ring and the old blade with two midribs. How old could be that Khanjar?

Regards
Robin

[Peter Hudson]

Originally Posted by Gonzoadler

The omani Khanjar is a very interesting dagger. To keep this thread alive I show a very old example. It is silver mounted, the hilt is made of Rhino horn and with a ring of solid gold. I think it is a very charismatic piece.

Hello Gonzoadler...Sorry to miss this one ... The question on the two raised ribs on the blade is really a question tied to Omani Khanjar blades and where they came from. I have only seen a few multi ribs as they are usually one only on each side of the blade.. They say that blades were imported from Persia India Yemen and Germany. Not usually wootz style just plain steel. I have what looks like a triple rib on the thread...It is said that some blades were made locally and even some made from meteorites..
The gold ring around the Maqbath( hilt) is interesting ... Is it solid gold? Usually where gold is used to enhance the design it is pulled off a roll which is gilded but not solid. A pin or silver nail is usually tacked to secure the work .
The hilt is normally covered in either a silver plate or in a mass of tiny pins the same shape as a plate...see examples all over the thread.
The hilt raises the major question I think... Is it a Rhino Hilt or Giraffe... ? One ear is clipped and in fact the overall condition is a dagger that has had a tough life... A good polish up with silvo or toothpaste might resurrect it and you might want to look out for a belt ...and even consider a few accoutrements... My suspicion points to this being a UAE dagger or Dhakiliyyah but it is a reasonable example ... Thank you for posting.

Peter Hudson.

[Gonzoadler]

Thank you for your answer. The handle is made of rhino horn and the ring is definetely solid gold. It was fixed with 3 forged iron nails, but one is lost.
I don't want to polish that dagger because I like the patina a lot and this piece is very delicate, especially the embroidery.
I will make some additional pictures to show them here.

[Gonzoadler]

Here is a picture of the handle material, made with a Dino camera. If some pictures from other details are wanted, I will make them.

Regards
Robin

[Peter Hudson]

I have extracted a superb quote from an earlier thread by Tim Simmons on a query over a possible Omani Khanjar where he detailed a pdf of probably the best information on Omani Khanjars...the contents of which were the subject of a thesis on the subject by an Omani student about 6 years ago...and which I should place here for reference ...Thus please see https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/195632974.pdf

Regards,

Peter Hudson.

[Ian]

Hello Peter and welcome back.

Thank you for this excellent reference. Unfortunately, the file size exceeds the maximum allowed for this site. It would have been nice to post it here as an attachment, and thereby have a permanent record for the Archives. Let's hope the link does not get broken in future.

Regards,

Ian.