SYRIAN OR TURKISH ??

[DaveA]

Originally Posted by ariel

Definitely Syrian:-)
The handle is a dead giveaway of the style peculiar to the Druze village Majjal Shams.

Hello Ariel,

With the respectful spirit of learning, I am curious what about this knife tells you with such certainty that it is from Majdal Shams? Do you mean very recent (last 20 or 30 years)?

I ask because this jambiya is totally unlike the three pre-WWII era Majdali jambiya I have in my own collection (see pictures of two, attached). The hilt doesn't seem nearly flat enough, nor is the decoration at all similar.

I would have guessed northern Syria; definitely not southern/Damascus style.

Best,

Dave A.