Weapon (possibly) and translation please

[AJ1356]

It is a flagon, for water or wine or whatever. the inscription is the name of the maker, work of Rafiq ... can't make out the rest.

[Atlantia]

Hi Stu,

As you say, it's a 'coffee pot' usually known as a 'Dallah' (In Arabic: دلة‎).
Will make a nice addition to your 'theme'. Sit it on a folding tray topped table with some other bits... or a nice Hookah!
Very popular across the Arabian/Islamic world, your's looks to have some age, I'd date it to mid 20thC give or take a little.

[A.alnakkas]

Nice Dallah. Seems to be saying "Shughl Rafeeq Bahs" (work of Rafeeq Bahs)

I know a guy who collects Dallahs, will show it to him maybe he can trace the maker.

[broadaxe]

Traditional coffee-making pot, directly on open fire, still used today in the Bedouin community for ceremonies. Here it is called bakraj, I believe the word derived from turkish.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Dhellah, brass, tinned inside, Late 20th C probably Syrian not Omani.
Ibrahiim al Balooshi

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Dhellah, brass, tinned inside, Late 20th C probably Syrian not Omani.
Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Namaste Ibrahiim,

These are commonplace items across the middle east, how (beyond identifying the maker) would you attribute THIS Dallah to Syria and not say: Saudi, Egypt or elsewhere? It doesn't seem to have any of the distinct variations that would pin it?
These came back to the UK in a fairly constant flow after the war up to and into the 1970s (possibly with a small supply of 'gulf expresso' that soldiers, oil workers and tourists had developed a 'taste for' while in that area as these usually look used!). I imagine NZ was the same. By the latter part of the last century, those coming back tended to be 'lesser' examples. Smaller, lighter often more decorative, minus the filled lid etc and not intended for actual use.
Also of course, Stu's seems to have proper 'patina' in the receses that suggests an age of more than a decade or two. Even with coffe stains taken into account
God knows you could repair tarmac with that stuff!

Regards
Gene

[A.alnakkas]

Dallah's have different attributes. The ones traced to Ehsa and Kuwait tend to have a more flat top for example. Reslan Dallah's tend to have 3 (or 2?) lines at the top part but am not exactly an expert. Sending the images to my friend he'll give a solid answer.

And we still use them. Infact, am planning to go get a set (Dallah and finyals + heater etc. You never know when you need coffee xD)

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Atlantia

Namaste Ibrahiim,

These are commonplace items across the middle east, how (beyond identifying the maker) would you attribute THIS Dallah to Syria and not say: Saudi, Egypt or elsewhere? It doesn't seem to have any of the distinct variations that would pin it?
These came back to the UK in a fairly constant flow after the war up to and into the 1970s (possibly with a small supply of 'gulf expresso' that soldiers, oil workers and tourists had developed a 'taste for' while in that area as these usually look used!). I imagine NZ was the same. By the latter part of the last century, those coming back tended to be 'lesser' examples. Smaller, lighter often more decorative, minus the filled lid etc and not intended for actual use.
Also of course, Stu's seems to have proper 'patina' in the receses that suggests an age of more than a decade or two. Even with coffe stains taken into account
God knows you could repair tarmac with that stuff!

Regards
Gene

Salaams Atlantia ~ I love coffee pots ! There is something very pleasing about the simple shape..and with the long beak spout they take on a character all of their own. My own collection numbers several score. The best ones I ever owned were sent to me by a friend of mine who found them in a famous English souk ! both were signed by the maker in 1912 in Nizwa! Telling the difference is not easy as these days styles are copied all over the place and Pakistani Syrian Yemeni Saudia ... The list goes on ... It is quite difficult to pinpoint. The most difficult engineering is the lid which should be fluted like the body. Original pots are made from one flat sheet of metal be that copper brass or even silver... They are built from the ground up. To protect from verdigris poison (mold that grows on brass) the pots are tinned(tin drenched) sometimes all over inside and out but normally just the inside in the old days this was a Z'tooti ~Gypsi occupation)
Some regional pots have distinct flat tops others more pointed and there is a different more sophisticated shape for a serving pot rather than the pot that goes in the fire to cook up the brew...

Pictures are jumbled but descriptions make obvious..

* Shows regional variation fat tall thin wide etc etc now copied almost everywhere ..
* Syrian pots..3 small brass Pots; new but in the right style and with wrapped handles.
* Omani . 3 Omani Pots. The classic style with swept body and lid..finials to a point. The lid would contain small pebbles to alert the owner that the coffee was being tampered with. The favourite method of poison in the coffee being the major way of eliminating an oponent.
* The original "pot" coffee pot from Oman ~ round bottom red clay sits in the fire embers and is strained of residue with palm leaves stuffed into the top... and sits on its own round seat made of palm leaves/reed.
* Map of souks in the region far and wide and interlinkages.
* Accoutrements to the coffee pot... pan and stirrer, spoons, mortar and pesstle...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

Nice Dallah. Seems to be saying "Shughl Rafeeq Bahs" (work of Rafeeq Bahs)

I know a guy who collects Dallahs, will show it to him maybe he can trace the maker.

Thanks for the translation Lofty. You seem at least to be able to stick to the original intention of this thread. This pot was bought in the Matrah souk in the early 1970s.
IBRAHIIM. You say that your main source of coffee pots is mainly Syria, so how it it that you advertise them as Omani??

[Atlantia]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Thanks for the translation Lofty. You seem at least to be able to stick to the original intention of this thread. This pot was bought in the Matrah souk in the early 1970s.
IBRAHIIM. You say that your main source of coffee pots is mainly Syria, so how it it that you advertise them as Omani??

My Apologies for diverting your thread Stu,
I did 'circle' the point though

[David]

Originally Posted by Atlantia

My Apologies for diverting your thread Stu,
I did 'circle' the point though

If i may, i'd like to point out that you are ALL waaaaay off topic here. I'd hate to see this forum become the Antique Road Show. We are an ethnographic weapons forum after all.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Thanks for the translation Lofty. You seem at least to be able to stick to the original intention of this thread. This pot was bought in the Matrah souk in the early 1970s.
IBRAHIIM. You say that your main source of coffee pots is mainly Syria, so how it it that you advertise them as Omani??

Salaams kahnjar1 ~I cannot speak of commercial issues on this forum related to my private business, however, just to set the line straight I deal with coffee pots from the entire Arabian region... and that includes Syria whilst the majority of my coffee pots(about 150 of them) are Omani.

On the point of your purchase you must realise that sometimes even in Oman (and especially Mutrah Souk which is 80% infilitrated by outsiders including Thai, Indian, Pakistani, Syrian, ...China and everywhere) you may get taken.

However your line of text is somewhat puzzling if not a little rude, therefor, in conclusion, and while protesting complete submission to the learned on all matters connected with Oriental lore, I take my stand against the merely untravelled critic in the words of the excellent Arabic proverb, which says;
"The off fore-foot of my donkey stands upon the centre of the earth. If you don't believe me, go and measure for yourself."

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Note; For those that think this is not an ethnographic weapon ~ This is one of the oldest weapons of the assassin... Poison applied to a sheikhs coffee was probably the most common way of disposing ....thus the reason for the stones in the lid. The rattle of stone on metal is a most unusual sound in the desert and proved to be a reliable alarm...in addition the head slave of the Sheikh was solely responsible for the coffee as the most trusted of his men. Early form of biological and chemical warfare !

[Richard G]

As we seem to have established that coffee pots are really ethnographic weapons for bashing or poisoning I'm hoping I might slip this one by before David decides otherwise.
Can anyone translate this mark please?
It was bought in Qatar in the early 70's. Doha was a small place then, and I know one of the many things they didn't do was make coffee pots.
Many thanks
Richard

[Dom]

Originally Posted by Richard G

Can anyone translate this mark please?

Hi Richard
here we 're

KHAÏRI FAT'OUH either, just a name

à +

Dom