MUSANDAM (JERZ) AXES for Comment

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kronckew

add one from the UK: posted & discussed here a while back. while this came from the arabian peninsula, where i worked for ARAMCO Souther area projects dept. for 10+ years, i did not aquire it there. the rub' al kali was occasionally stomped across by me, in a 4x4 rather than by camel tho. and with quite a few gallons of h2o. i got stuck once, not a pleasant feeling at 50C+ with nothing but huge dunes in sight (pre cell (mobile) phone & satnav days too).

Ref:http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...light=musandam.

Salaams Kronckew... The more I look at your axe the more I think this is the ramlat al-wahiba item I mentioned in the reference; http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showt...hlight=musandam. The difference is not at all clear though Musandam axe heads tend toward being decorated in chiseled geometric work and other than that the stick is different ...When buying the axe in Musandam it comes complete with the shaft. In the desert around Ibra and the Wahiba sands the owner fits his own shaft and it is quite different wood like yours ...white ...probably Atom wood not uncommon around Jebel Akhdar.

(I still need to get the pictures I noted of the wootz axeheads at reference that I suspect were made in Baluchistan on the fighting axe a friend has in the Shihu...)

Your axe is, I am fairly certain, a Qudum (Wahiba)....not a Jerrs(Mussandam)... used as a camel stick as well as a defensive weapon in Oman..whereas the Shihu have the more decorated item with a red wood probably Meez ...... The Curator of the Al Ain, UAE, Museum; Dr WaLEED has a complete research document on these axes though as yet I have not seen it...
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[kronckew]

shukran, Ibrahim.

very interesting info. i like it even more for it. the owner fitting his own haft appeals to me. makes it more personal. a useful possession.

[kahnjar1]

Salaams Ibrahiim,
Interesting comments, so just to confirm your thoughts, the two decorated axes shown at the opening of this thread are definitely Jerz Axes from Musandam, and NOT a Qudum?.
The one belonging to Kronckew is a Qudum as it is plain?
Regards Stu

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Salaams Ibrahiim,
Interesting comments, so just to confirm your thoughts, the two decorated axes shown at the opening of this thread are definitely Jerz Axes from Musandam, and NOT a Qudum?.
The one belonging to Kronckew is a Qudum as it is plain?
Regards Stu

Salaams kahnjar1 ~No doubt in my mind that the first 2 at thread are Musandam Jerrs. The perfect examples are shown at Richardson and Dorr The Oman Heritage Association publication.

Salaams Kronckew~ In the same publication is the almost identical Qudum as the one shown by you.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[kahnjar1]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams kahnjar1 ~No doubt in my mind that the first 2 at thread are Musandam Jerrs. The perfect examples are shown at Richardson and Dorr The Oman Heritage Association publication.

Salaams Kronckew~ In the same publication is the almost identical Qudum as the one shown by you.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Thank you. That makes things absolutely clear.
I also have this one. Is this a Qudum or a Jerz? The dimensions are the same as the smaller of the top two Jerz. Is it a modern rendition or simply a tourist piece? The weight of the head is same as the other Jerz, though as can be seen it looks as if it is nickel?? plated.
Stu

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Thank you. That makes things absolutely clear.
I also have this one. Is this a Qudum or a Jerz? The dimensions are the same as the smaller of the top two Jerz. Is it a modern rendition or simply a tourist piece? The weight of the head is same as the other Jerz, though as can be seen it looks as if it is nickel?? plated.
Stu

Salaams kahnjar1~ The answer is of course ...it is both. The Jerrs you illustrate is faithfully copied from the ancient style and is still sold in the souks of Musandam and as likely to be bought by locals as well as toursts... Again it fulfills a role both as a camel stick, herders weapon and badge of office.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Kubur]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams Kronckew... The more I look at
Your axe is, I am fairly certain, a Qudum (Wahiba)....not a Jerrs(Mussandam)... used as a camel stick as well as a defensive weapon in Oman..
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

I'm very interested by the "camel stick".
When I bought this mace, the guy told me that it was an old camel stick.
And I was thinking "poor camel".

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...highlight=mace

Do you think it is possible?
Kubur