Buying Khanjars in Omani souks

[sksiazki]

Good morning to all!
This is my first post, obviously a newb on here. With that in mind I am going to break some newb rules by asking for advice in my first post, hopefully my reasoning will prove sound and you wont excoriate me for my ineptitude.

Little background, I am a military officer, due to this I sometimes deploy or travel to/through countries with interesting histories. I have been interested in old weapons etc for some time but never really researched them until now. Unfortunately, currently and for the foreseeable future, my internet connection is poor to non-existent at times. Due to this, I have been unable to fully scour this forum and others, hence my question now.

I know it has been posted before, even in the faqs of this forum that purchasing directly from the place of origin is not often the best deal, best quality merchandise etc. Is this what you have found?
Specifically I may visit Oman in the near future and am interested in purchasing a Khanjar or two. However now I am second guessing as to whether this is a good economical choice after reading these negative assertions.

haha now for breaking newb rule #2. I know little to nothing about selecting and valuing a Khanjar. Without coming straight out and asking for help on this, would someone point me in a good direction of resources to study on this? Unfortunately, with my timeline and internet connection I don't have weeks to dedicate to poring over all the forum posts etc before my opportunity comes and goes.

Thanks a lot

[Rick]

I would suggest you contact our member Ibrahiim al Balooshi .

I believe he is in Oman and could help a fellow member in need of what you seek .

He is an enthusiastic arms student and collector and most likely he will not take a fellow member out behind the woodshed .

If you post your email he may well contact you .

Good luck on your quest .

[kahnjar1]

Hi Sksiazki,
Welcome to the Forum.
IMHO when buying ANY knife/dagger/sword, you first need to establish if you want to own something which has been heavily restored/rebuilt and is possibly nothing more than a replica of the original, or you wish to buy something which is ORIGINAL and shows some age and possibly wear from general use.
There are at the moment a number of Omani/ Arabian Peninsula items for sale on a well known internet auction site, and listed under JAMBIYA.
It is fair to say that opinions on how far one should restore an item vary dependent on one's point of view, and if you care to research this Forum further, there are some healthy discussions on this topic, and relating to the Omani Khanjar. If you want more info please feel free to PM me.
Regards Stuart

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Default Buying Khanjars in Omani souks
Good morning to all!
This is my first post, obviously a newb on here. With that in mind I am going to break some newb rules by asking for advice in my first post, hopefully my reasoning will prove sound and you wont excoriate me for my ineptitude.

Little background, I am a military officer, due to this I sometimes deploy or travel to/through countries with interesting histories. I have been interested in old weapons etc for some time but never really researched them until now. Unfortunately, currently and for the foreseeable future, my internet connection is poor to non-existent at times. Due to this, I have been unable to fully scour this forum and others, hence my question now.

I know it has been posted before, even in the faqs of this forum that purchasing directly from the place of origin is not often the best deal, best quality merchandise etc. Is this what you have found?
Specifically I may visit Oman in the near future and am interested in purchasing a Khanjar or two. However now I am second guessing as to whether this is a good economical choice after reading these negative assertions.

haha now for breaking newb rule #2. I know little to nothing about selecting and valuing a Khanjar. Without coming straight out and asking for help on this, would someone point me in a good direction of resources to study on this? Unfortunately, with my timeline and internet connection I don't have weeks to dedicate to poring over all the forum posts etc before my opportunity comes and goes.

Thanks a lot

Originally Posted by Rick

I would suggest you contact our member Ibrahiim al Balooshi .

I believe he is in Oman and could help a fellow member in need of what you seek .

He is an enthusiastic arms student and collector and most likely he will not take a fellow member out behind the woodshed .

If you post your email he may well contact you .

Good luck on your quest .

Salaams Sksiazki and Rick ~ "Welcome to the Forum" Sksiazki !

There are thousands of Khanjars for sale in Oman. The key central souk in Muscat is called Mutrah Souk and there you can see all the different styles. You can see the details on several threads on this forum and as Rick has so kindly pointed out we have some experience in that field ~ this family has been in Khanjars in Oman both as workshop producers and seller/collectors for the better part of a century.

As a researcher on Omani ethnographic arms I specialise in Omani Khanjars, Swords and gunpowder weapons, moreover, ongoing research has those as continuous subjects for detailed study.


For Omani Khanjars Please see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...=omani+khanjar

For Souks of Oman see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ght=omani+souk

We currently supply Omani Khanjars and Omani Swords to various National and Private Museums in the Gulf including the UAE, Oman, Qatar and Kuwait. We have an in house restoration workshops permanently engaged in production of new Khanjars and in restoration of antique items.

I simply add these as notes on credibility but urge you to enjoy the thoroughly exciting Omani Souks !

Naturally being involved in such specialised work places us at the top of the profession, moreover, since you are now a forum member "anything you need to know" about these artefacts or souks simply contact me again by PM.

I have to say, however, that I would never try to persuade you to shy away from the wonderful, traditional souks as there are no doubt great bargains to be made and half the fun of shopping in Oman is experiencing the living breathing atmosphere of The Omani market..which you will find in Muscat and all the other provincial towns including Salalah the second city..

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[sksiazki]

Thank you for the replies Gents.
Khanjar1: Good point, as this is my first real delve into buying traditional, historical items, I'm not quite sure on my strategy. I would probably prefer something in its more original form however with my schedule and my purse I dont have a ton of time or money to dedicate to restoring these items. I will have to spend some time on this issue, good point. Im just real excited about seeing these items and what there is available.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi: Thank you for your reply. I was able to go through a good amount of pages on the site before my internet died again so I have been following your posts and indeed had read your post about the Omani souks etc. ha I was kind of hoping you would respond. I hadnt read your post on the Khanjar though, am doing so now. If I visit Oman, it will probably be Salalah, not Muscat unfortunately, or I would meet up with you.

Would anyone care to expound a little more on the discussion of not being able to get as good of a deal purchasing these types of items directly from the source? I would have thought that purchasing from Oman, or Saudi, or Iraq or wherever, for the piece you are looking for, would give you a better deal however this is not so? My initial thinking (just by assumption) was that I may be able to purchase items not otherwise as prevalent in the States, at a discounted rate from the States and thus perhaps purchase several, selling some of them in order to pay for the ones I keep for my starting collection.

Thanks again

[Rick]

We try not to involve overt commercialism on this site; in fact it is expressly against the forum rules .

If I might offer an insight about buying out of country :

Often you are better off buying from a Collector/Dealer than from a local tourist shop .
The Collector/Dealer is much less likely to foist trash off on an inexperienced Buyer .
He knows that if you are happy with your purchase you will be back .

[kahnjar1]

I AGREE..................Post #4 above is surely pushing what a certain business does, and is IMHO a poorly covered attempt at advertising Other's who also have "businesses", have been struck off the Member list for less, by only listing a item on their website after having it discussed here! There needs to be some consistancy in the application of the Rules.

.

Originally Posted by Rick

We try not to involve overt commercialism on this site; in fact it is expressly against the forum rules .

If I might offer an insight about buying out of country :

Often you are better off buying from a Collector/Dealer than from a local tourist shop .
The Collector/Dealer is much less likely to foist trash off on an inexperienced Buyer .
He knows that if you are happy with your purchase you will be back .

[sksiazki]

haha sorry to cause a commotion gentlemen. I wasn't trying to discuss anything from a commercial standpoint, was just saying that these items cost money, I am not made of money, therefore I would like to purchase them at the best value available and that if that involved purchasing several in order to sell several to cover the ones I want to keep for myself, that seemed a viable option. Apologize if it came off wrong.
Can anyone provide further insight into buying locally? I appreciate the input Rick. As a somewhat experienced international traveler I would be focusing on legitimate, authentic sellers vice those targeting tourists. Also, as I am deployed during these travels, I dont have to worry about import duties etc.

[Battara]

Originally Posted by Rick

If I might offer an insight about buying out of country :

Often you are better off buying from a Collector/Dealer than from a local tourist shop .
The Collector/Dealer is much less likely to foist trash off on an inexperienced Buyer .
He knows that if you are happy with your purchase you will be back .

Welcome to our little forum!

Great questions. Rick is on the money in what he says. Great advice and observations.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by sksiazki

Thank you for the replies Gents.
Khanjar1: Good point, as this is my first real delve into buying traditional, historical items, I'm not quite sure on my strategy. I would probably prefer something in its more original form however with my schedule and my purse I dont have a ton of time or money to dedicate to restoring these items. I will have to spend some time on this issue, good point. Im just real excited about seeing these items and what there is available.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi: Thank you for your reply. I was able to go through a good amount of pages on the site before my internet died again so I have been following your posts and indeed had read your post about the Omani souks etc. ha I was kind of hoping you would respond. I hadnt read your post on the Khanjar though, am doing so now. If I visit Oman, it will probably be Salalah, not Muscat unfortunately, or I would meet up with you.

Would anyone care to expound a little more on the discussion of not being able to get as good of a deal purchasing these types of items directly from the source? I would have thought that purchasing from Oman, or Saudi, or Iraq or wherever, for the piece you are looking for, would give you a better deal however this is not so? My initial thinking (just by assumption) was that I may be able to purchase items not otherwise as prevalent in the States, at a discounted rate from the States and thus perhaps purchase several, selling some of them in order to pay for the ones I keep for my starting collection.

Thanks again

Salaams Sksiazki ~ Salalah is a great souk because as it is relatively close to the Yemen border the flavour of daggers there is influenced by Yemeni styles. There are also Southern Omani and Jebali Dhofari daggers for sale and use... It is important to realise that although ethnographic arms in the west tends to mean items that were used in antiquity, that is not the case in Oman. These weapons are certainly historical and traditional but also living, breathing artefacts worn and used today. They are the badge of office of the head of the family and very much current as well as used in traditional historical dance routines and pageants.

What is not well known outside of Southern Oman is the traditional Jebali tribal dagger dance and if you get a chance to see that please do.

Good luck in your visit to Oman.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Richard G]

I know this sounds like a statement of the bl****ng obvious, but please check out government import\export regulations and what airlines and shippers will or won't do for you. A mention of weapons, antiques, animal products etc. can often provoke a re-action verging on the hysterical.
Regards
Richard

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Richard G

I know this sounds like a statement of the bl****ng obvious, but pleas
e check out government import\export regulations and what airlines and shippers will or won't do for you. A mention of weapons, antiques, animal products etc. can often provoke a re-action verging on the hysterical.
Regards
Richard

Salaams Richard G..Always good advice is well accepted ~ Note, however, that the member is well placed to export and in addition Oman allows the normal export of Khanjars purchased locally... Just shove them in the heavy baggage... don't try to take in cabin luggage. Alternatively you can send via courier from Oman.(ALWAYS CHECK THE REGULATIONS IN THE RECEIVING COUNTRY)
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi !