Syrian janbiya

[DaveA]

Hello,

A correspondent of mine sent me these photos of a janbiya he bought "somewhere in the middle of the desert during a trip to Syria." His question, of course, is whether it is a knife for the tourist or something more. I lean towards the latter, especially due to the quality and interesting reinforced tip of the blade and the beautiful hilt.

He obtained a translation of the writing on the blade:

In the middle, the year: 1942 ???

And a verse from a poem by Al-Mutanabbi

لا يسلم الشرف الرفيع من الأذى
حتى يراق على جوانبه الدم

High honor is never safe from harm
until there is bloodshed at its sides

I always enjoy learning the inscriptions on these blades. The poetry is usually very apropos the purpose of the knife!

Best,

Dave A.