Saudia Jambiya for Identification

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams kahnjar1~ I can tell you this is a baffling piece. You are right about the toe... Its Omani. The tube shaped wrap on the Hilt is Omani... I reckon off a Royal Khanjar. The silver on the cuff matches the silver on the throat of the Scabbard... Its Omani and linked in style to the tubular ring. The floral buttons on the hilt are either from the Habaabi style or straight from a Royal Omani Khanjar. The blade looks Omani. The Scabbard though two rings are missing looks Omani. The Rhino perhaps off another dagger.

I think the initial assessment is wrong .. but it was close !

What you have here is an Omani Khanjar probably used by the Jebali of Salalah (Dhofar) stripped back to the leather at the scabbard minus a couple of rings perhaps with a toe added from another Khanjar and a Rhino hilt from?? Yemen...Unless it is the Rhino hilt of an original Royal Omani Khanjar with all or much of the silver adornment removed; which would explain the central silver tubular ring and the floral decoration. Could we in fact be looking at the remains of an entire 7 ringer Omani Royal Khanjar?

This is typical of the Salalah mish-mash style but does not distract from the aesthetics of this piece This is typically what the Salalah dagger can go through as it is personalised or customised down the ages.

Habaabi is definitely a term to describe Yemeni weapons of the nature already described and similar to the Omani Muscat Style likely because of the trade linkage to that region. Currently it is hugely difficult to visit the area otherwise I would be there in a flash as the region has some fascinating history. I will see if the Muscat museums can throw some more light into that dark corner.

If you are able to say that the item was from a Salalah source it will give an added pointer to where we should be looking?

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams Ibrahiim,
Not sure that I entirely agree with what you say here.
Firstly this Jambiya was acquired in the U.K so that is not going to help much.
Yes the scabbard toe is likely Nizwa Omani.
Your other comments to me do not ring true. To my knowledge, and I stand to be corrected, is that apart from the Saidi (Royal) Khanjar, most, if not all Omani Khanjars do NOT tend to have the central wrap on the hilt, however MANY Yemeni styles do. There is no way IMHO that this is (as you put it) a "stripped down" Saidi Khanjar, as the hilt shape is all wrong at the top.
Your latest suggestion of Salalah as a possible origin, seems to me to make more sense, as it is very near the Yemeni Hadraumauti border, and I have it on good authority that there are many "cross/culture " pieces to be seen there.
As far as there being only two rings, I would agree that it is likely that the other two and the wire binding are missing, and probably have been for a very long time. The rings by the way are brass or bronze, not silver, though they are of typical cross section shape (not round section).
Regards Stu