Interesting shibriya

[ariel]

Originally Posted by kronckew

they remind me of the roman utility knives which were used in the area as well as the rest of the empire, way way back.

Do you mean "sica"?
Those were sickle-shaped, not recurved.Sicarii were Judean anti-Roman fighters.
I am not aware of anything else remotely similar in the area.

[harrywagner]

Here is one from my collection that I like and that is similar to yours, though not as nice. It is silver and I think early 20th. These are still carried and used by the Bedouin tribes in Israel and Jordan. I bought this one from Artzi at OA.

Harry

[motan]

Hello everybody. Thank you all for your reactions. This thread has gone beyond my expectations.
A.alnakas, do you have a link to the documentary? My Arabic is limited, but would very much like to see it.
Knonckew, I would like to make a guess about your shibriya. It is unusual and as I see it, it is a hybrid type. The blade and pommel shape are certainly shibriya, but some details like the workmanship on the blade, the high quality black (buffalo?) horn, the two protruding central bolsters, but most of all, the stamped leather scabbard all point to Kurdish type dagger. Because the territories of the Bedouins and the Kurds meet somewhere in the northern Syrian desert (very bad place to be at the moment) I would place it around there.
Harrywagner, your shibriya is BEAUTIFUL and rare. It is certainly an older example from the 20's or 30's. The craftsmanship is much better than in mine. What did Artzi say about it when you bought it?
Yes, shibriyas are still made today around Amman and are still part of the formal dress of some units of the Jordanian army-recent examples are not as nice and usually very small. The more "standard" types from the 40's-60's look like the photos. I hope Artzi wouldn't mind that I borrowed some from his site..

[harrywagner]

Originally Posted by motan

Harrywagner, your shibriya is BEAUTIFUL and rare. It is certainly an older example from the 20's or 30's. The craftsmanship is much better than in mine. What did Artzi say about it when you bought it?

I actually bought another shibriya but it was missing from inventory so Artzi substituted this one and another for it, both of which were better than the one I purchased! He said the one I posted is from his private collection and I believe it. I do not often see them as nice as this one, or as nice as yours. I would call both "keepers".

Harry

[A.alnakkas]

Here you go, Motan: http://www.medmem.eu/ar/notice/JRT00258

Here is a report I found on youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a733Pw0fAF4

[ariel]

This is a woman after my own heart:-)))

[motan]

I have seen them both. Very nice to see the actual work on shibriyas. I am not sure I got much wiser though.
Like many similar middle eastern daggers, for example koumayas, they are still made today, and intended both as tourist souvenir as for local use. However, styles have shifted a little, which makes older ones easier to identify.
Anyway, I enjoyed watching them. Thanks again

[kronckew]

Originally Posted by ariel

Do you mean "sica"?
Those were sickle-shaped, not recurved.Sicarii were Judean anti-Roman fighters.
I am not aware of anything else remotely similar in the area.

no, i was referring to the roman legionnaires, not the locals...