Big jambiya

S.Al-Anizi · 15th March 2007, 08:41 AM

Hello Mike,

Actually, the description on the photo is wrong. That is a photo of one the Sharif's nephews (as I read in two books), why would a pilgrim be armed?

Anyway, as Fenris said, these range in lengths from about 10" to to ones 2.5 feet in size. Which would suggest that in some places, they were probably used as shortswords.

As to the Wahabite name, that is totally incorrect and a very common misconception with collectors of Jambiyas. The followers of Muhammad Ibn Abdulwahab were in Nejd, and wore traditional Omani Jambiyas, or local Nejdi made ones, but in an undeniable Omani style. These large Jambiyas you see were made and worn, still today, in the Asir region, between the Hejaz and the Yemen, where Wahabism has never really penetrated, and no warriors from there actually joined the wahhabi/saudi coalition in Nejd, they actually fought against it in the 18th century.

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15th March 2007, 08:41 AM	#4
S.Al-Anizi Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Arabia Posts: 278	Hello Mike, Actually, the description on the photo is wrong. That is a photo of one the Sharif's nephews (as I read in two books), why would a pilgrim be armed? Anyway, as Fenris said, these range in lengths from about 10" to to ones 2.5 feet in size. Which would suggest that in some places, they were probably used as shortswords. As to the Wahabite name, that is totally incorrect and a very common misconception with collectors of Jambiyas. The followers of Muhammad Ibn Abdulwahab were in Nejd, and wore traditional Omani Jambiyas, or local Nejdi made ones, but in an undeniable Omani style. These large Jambiyas you see were made and worn, still today, in the Asir region, between the Hejaz and the Yemen, where Wahabism has never really penetrated, and no warriors from there actually joined the wahhabi/saudi coalition in Nejd, they actually fought against it in the 18th century.