Folks, just to make some clarifications:
The Shibriyeh (as should be pronounced) with its distinctive blade has been spread in the regions of the Sinai peninsula, Jordan and the Land of Israel only. Bedouins of the Sinai and the Israeli southern Negev desert still carry it.
Armed bedouin characters as shown in most vintage photos are NOT military men but irregular personnel, militia-type. The shibriyeh is the basic tool of defence & offence and a symbol of manhood, much like the Janbiya, hence carried openly. In spite of the blade form, there a lot of varieties - mostly in handle form and decoration form; thorough research is yet to be done. In Jordan it is a national symbol and because of that very common turist souvenir. At the opposite side, there is a large internal market today for higher quality Shibriyahs, for official occasions and as gifts. Collectors in Israel are familiar with older ones, from the 19th century. Some "working" sh' have blades reforged from old files, a source of hard steel.
|