2 recent addition to my collection

motan · 19th January 2020, 08:10 PM

While I am at it, I thought I'd show 2 very modest additions to my collection.
I collect only within a very specific small niche - daggers from the Levant.

The first one is a very small (9" and a bit) and not decorated. Despite a rather primitive make, it is neatly finished. It looks very Syrian-Ottoman, but that is a guess because I don't really know similar ones. As for the age, I think first half of the 20th c. Any suggestions?

The other one is a beaten up piece and rather large for its type - 13.6". I bought it for 2 cents with the blade stuck in the scabbard, so I was glad to find out that it was caused by some hardened fat residue and not serious rust. The decorations are very Jordanian, similar to old shibriyas, but the blade is different to anything I have seen from this region. I guess it is from Jordan or the very south of Syria, probably late 19th c.

Kubur · 19th January 2020, 08:52 PM

Hi Motan
Finally good stuff!

For the first one it's what i call the mini kinjal from Damascus
But the blade is nicer and different than the 1920ties ones
and your scabbard is very 19th c. So it's difficult to say but i don't think that your dagger is later than 1900.

For the second one, oh lucky man, to me it's an Ottoman Turkish blade 18th or early 19th c...
Maybe you got your 19th c shibriyya with an 18th c blade...
I'm jealous... I can give you 4 cents for it...

Marius will tell you to etch it and he will be right...

http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...+turkish+blade

motan · 19th January 2020, 10:56 PM

Hi Kubur and thanks for the interesting information and kind words. Is the dagger in the picture yours? Definitely similar. By looking at the "scars" of the many repairs in my dagger, I can see that it had a disk and ring like in yours.
This feature is known from almost all early shibriyas, up to the late 1930, when it was abandoned.
The small pits with turquoise in the scabbard of your dagger are an Iraqi feature that is found in silver scabbards of both Kurdish and Marsh Arab daggers, but the blade is Syrian-Ottoman and the construction is shibriya. This proves something that I gradually found out - that there was much influence and exchange across the Syrian Desert, all the way to the banks of the Euphrates, the Red Sea and North Arabian desert.
The blade is pitted, but I will try to etch it. I have at least one more that is probably wootz (see pic), but I am having difficulties to find the right materials.

19th January 2020, 08:10 PM	#1
motan Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Jerusalem Posts: 274	2 recent addition to my collection While I am at it, I thought I'd show 2 very modest additions to my collection. I collect only within a very specific small niche - daggers from the Levant. The first one is a very small (9" and a bit) and not decorated. Despite a rather primitive make, it is neatly finished. It looks very Syrian-Ottoman, but that is a guess because I don't really know similar ones. As for the age, I think first half of the 20th c. Any suggestions? The other one is a beaten up piece and rather large for its type - 13.6". I bought it for 2 cents with the blade stuck in the scabbard, so I was glad to find out that it was caused by some hardened fat residue and not serious rust. The decorations are very Jordanian, similar to old shibriyas, but the blade is different to anything I have seen from this region. I guess it is from Jordan or the very south of Syria, probably late 19th c. Attached Images

19th January 2020, 08:52 PM	#2
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	Hi Motan Finally good stuff! For the first one it's what i call the mini kinjal from Damascus But the blade is nicer and different than the 1920ties ones and your scabbard is very 19th c. So it's difficult to say but i don't think that your dagger is later than 1900. For the second one, oh lucky man, to me it's an Ottoman Turkish blade 18th or early 19th c... Maybe you got your 19th c shibriyya with an 18th c blade... I'm jealous... I can give you 4 cents for it... Marius will tell you to etch it and he will be right... http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...+turkish+blade Attached Images Last edited by Kubur; 19th January 2020 at 09:03 PM.

19th January 2020, 10:56 PM	#3
motan Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Jerusalem Posts: 274	Hi Kubur and thanks for the interesting information and kind words. Is the dagger in the picture yours? Definitely similar. By looking at the "scars" of the many repairs in my dagger, I can see that it had a disk and ring like in yours. This feature is known from almost all early shibriyas, up to the late 1930, when it was abandoned. The small pits with turquoise in the scabbard of your dagger are an Iraqi feature that is found in silver scabbards of both Kurdish and Marsh Arab daggers, but the blade is Syrian-Ottoman and the construction is shibriya. This proves something that I gradually found out - that there was much influence and exchange across the Syrian Desert, all the way to the banks of the Euphrates, the Red Sea and North Arabian desert. The blade is pitted, but I will try to etch it. I have at least one more that is probably wootz (see pic), but I am having difficulties to find the right materials. Attached Images