My first Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Pretty well any decent scrubbing brush will work and you can start witrh soapy water ... or use toothpaste...that works nicely.

It seems that by default we are working up the differences with the al Ahsa Oasis weapon compared to the Omani of which I promote the three main differences viz;

1. The UUUUU design under the cuff just above the belt line. (though I seem to find the same design in the Asir...checking)
2. The slightly oversized Quba or crown.
3. The greater upturn on the scabbard.

I cannot attribute the criss cross weave below the belt as that is more the domain of the Asir style nor the small diamond rectangles as that is frequently reflected in Omani work.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams All...

I can now confirm that the UUUUUU design just above the belt conforms also with dagger design in the Asir as below....where you can see one has broken off...six being often displayed. I also think the turned up scabbards in the Asir are equally dominant in form... and cannot be relied upon to determine one or the other.

I begin to adjust my view of the Al Ahsa dagger and consider more the hilt which seems to represent the bigger of the stylistic indicators... the studded decorated pommel top and the style of decoration to the Hilt face...as being typical in general of the Al Ahsa form.

It would appear that the Al Ahsa style is copied from the Muscat Khanjar and the Asir takes its design from the Saidiyyah item. The main differences stem from the differently applied and copied hilt decoration in each case.

A further indicator may be present on a number of daggers under revue which have a floral stamp on the reverse and are inscribed with the makers name...these appear on daggers that I suspect are from the flower men of Yemen in the Asir region whose daggers I am currently studying..Once completed I will report the findings here.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.