The Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Pommel End Photo.

[BANTARU]

Wow its so beautiful. I can't believe someone actually sat there and put all those countless pins into that hilt.

Do show us the finished product when you are done!

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by BANTARU

Wow its so beautiful. I can't believe someone actually sat there and put all those countless pins into that hilt.

Do show us the finished product when you are done!

Salaams BANTARU ~ I will try to show the final complete result. Sadly the fact is that Rhino makes such an attractive hilt because of this translucence and the variety of colours in the different types ... In addition Rhino is perfect for using the very close silver pin technique since other materials split. Rhino hilt is also very robust and even if thrown to the floor it bounces... whilst other materials can crack. Fortunately we now see a fair number of composite materials substituting Rhino or horn but nothing gets close enough to Rhino ...

For a brief look at what we are trying to save see # 55 by Spiral and http://www.african-elephant.org/pachy/index.html

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[A.alnakkas]

In a jambiya or a khanjar, the hilt is probably the oldest. The hilt (and sometimes the blade) is the most expensive and treasured part of the dagger so it gets refurbished often and as style changes, you get to see those pins sometimes covered by the silver sheet which have became the new fashion or something.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

In a jambiya or a khanjar, the hilt is probably the oldest. The hilt (and sometimes the blade) is the most expensive and treasured part of the dagger so it gets refurbished often and as style changes, you get to see those pins sometimes covered by the silver sheet which have became the new fashion or something.

Salaams A.alnakkas,
I'm not sure about that since the blade seems to be the most admired and important part of the ensemble...at least thats what the locals ponder over when they are checking out a Khanjar. They smell it and even taste it! It even has to have the right musical note when struck. Locally made blades are the most expensive. However, a good hilt comes in a close second and certainly huge value is placed on Rhino and Elephant.

On the subject of pins I believe this to be a vital point since it is really only Rhino hilts that can safely take the closely hammered pins as other materials tend to split. Pins are used to decorate other horn hilts but they are not hammered so closely. It therefor becomes a mark of quality... i.e. Closely hammered pin decoration = Rhino hilt. A good hilt is just about recognisable from about 4 feet away ! (I mean you dont want to get too close!)

I wonder which came first; the pins or the technique of using sheet silver? My hypothesis leans toward the Rhino hilt plus pins since I am quite convinced of the importance of the entire weapon and its link to the Rhino both because of the hilt... and the curve in the dagger and the added apparent curve in the scabbard... I suggest the entire Khanjar is Rhino inspired (Hilt, Scabbard and Blade) though no proof exists other than that.

In keeping with that theory I have also argued that the closely decorated pins reflect/ resemble the spaghetti ended strata of translucent Rhino Horn...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[A.alnakkas]

Salam,

I am not sure about the smell and taste part. Because some of the finer blades are polished and cleaned very often which means they'd likely smell and taste of polish material. The finger flick and sound thing is something that I am beginning to see often, but to detect the material of the steel rather than the quality, as wootz supposedly sounds different from other steels.

Anyways, one of my new khanjars with a rhino hilt arrived afew weeks ago and it seems to have a wootz blade, a rarity in Omani khanjars. Will post pictures once I am done with the etching and satisfied with the result.

Lotfy

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

Salam,

I am not sure about the smell and taste part. Because some of the finer blades are polished and cleaned very often which means they'd likely smell and taste of polish material. The finger flick and sound thing is something that I am beginning to see often, but to detect the material of the steel rather than the quality, as wootz supposedly sounds different from other steels.

Anyways, one of my new khanjars with a rhino hilt arrived afew weeks ago and it seems to have a wootz blade, a rarity in Omani khanjars. Will post pictures once I am done with t he etching and satisfied with the result.

Lotfy

Salaams A.alnakkas ~ I know it sounds very odd...but tasting the blade ... and smelling it are very much the old way of determining a blades quality...A good blade has the aroma of ...herbs and sweaty socks ! as does the taste. The old folks don't clean the blades with metal polish.

Wootz blades are very rare because they simply don't go for that as a style but locally made blades are sought after ...and they are laminated. I suspect that a wootz blade could have come from India or Iran/Afghanistan along with the generally known name of Johar...In fact I was just reading a fine article by Dr Ann Feuerbach in which she mentions the wootz material from which I believe the word Johar originates; Poulad Jauherder.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Pommel End Photo.

Salaams All,
Here's the scabbard we sourced to match the hilt previously seen at #87...Well here are all the parts ! We just need to fit it all together !! Then the whole ensemble will be cleaned up and at about that point it will begin its journey of acquiring "Patina", however, silver being relatively soft and prone to oxidisation this ought to only take about 6 months.

The scabbard is an Emirati (UAE) Style and favours the very vast expanse of leather showing below the belt ~ though the toe floral decoration is typically Nizwa, Oman, done before the UAE formation when these countries were blended together loosely as one. (Trucial Oman States)(Muscat and Oman)

Afternote ~ The leather is hand tooled in simple floral geometry. Please also note that the central plate wrapped around the hilt midsection is hand decorated silver sheet... but the rest of the silver on the hilt comprises several thousand small silver pins hammered so closely they look like one sheet.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[RhysMichael]

A couple of Thesinger's photos

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by RhysMichael

A couple of Thesinger's photos

Salaams RhysMichael ~ I will dig out some Wilfred Thesiger pictures with Omani Khanjars...The examples shown are probably Yemeni Jambia.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[RhysMichael]

Thank you Ibrahiim I look forward to them

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by RhysMichael

Thank you Ibrahiim I look forward to them

Salaams RhysMichael ~ I met Wilfred 4 times. They called him Mubarrak bil London around here... Here he is wearing an Omani Khanjar which appears to be off the Baatinah coast. ( From the Thesiger Collection by Motivate Publishing ISBN 1 8735 44 316 )

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[BANTARU]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams RhysMichael ~ I met Wilfred 4 times. They called him Mubarrak bil London around here... Here he is wearing an Omani Khanjar which appears to be off the Baatinah coast. ( From the Thesiger Collection by Motivate Publishing ISBN 1 8735 44 316 )

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

wow you met him!

Luck you. I wish I could meet him. was it recently (like within 10 years ago), or was it from the times when he used to roam around like a nomad? That guy is like the Lawrence of Arabia of the trucial coast.

btw he was called Umbarak I think.

[RhysMichael]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams RhysMichael ~ I met Wilfred 4 times. They called him Mubarrak bil London around here... Here he is wearing an Omani Khanjar which appears to be off the Baatinah coast. ( From the Thesiger Collection by Motivate Publishing ISBN 1 8735 44 316 )

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

I would have loved to have met him and just listened to some of the stories he could have told. To quote Buffett "Our lives change like the weather but a legend never dies" Thanks for posting the picture