Behold the Worlds only 9-ringer Khanjar!

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by BANTARU

Salaam Wajah,

Thank You and for your opinion as well. The Hilt to me , looks like that of a UAE Khanjar. However, the designs on top of the hilt look different from the standard ones we see everyday. IT is possible that it belongs to Bedu, inhabiting the areas between Oman and the Trucial Coast. so he probably added the extra ring. but they all look original so maybe the Creator just thought of adding the extra ring. you never know what goes on in their minds.

how do I clean it exactly? what parts must I clean? also will it look better without the patina?
as to the date, yeahh its possible.

Salaams BANTARU ...Some would advise not cleaning it at all so you retain all of the patina age and so on... Clean it all up is the other view... or half clean it. Personally I would have it sparkling because that how its done here... A dirty Khanjar would be the last thing an Omani would want to be seen with ... You can use any silver cleaner or clean it with toothpaste and toothbrush. The locals use a copper or brass wire brush which takes off the oxide and burnishes the silver. Feed the leather with saddle soap or any decent leather restorer. The point is that with silver it oxidises again fairly quickly and in a few months whatever cleaning you have done will begin to mellow so the patina comes back fast enough... then you may just want to highlight certain areas and switch to the occasional part clean/polish...

I don't think it has been crossed with another dagger... and it looks all Omani to me. You could chase the origin of this one all over the Oman but the general style looks like Muscat...though I have seen similar coming from the Mussandam and actually the Muscat Khanjar may have originated in the Sharqiyyah. ...

Its a nice though fanciful thought that a Bedu between Oman and the Trucial coast wore this one ... but I suspect it has been to Salalah and owned by a Jebali tribesman... if only they could talk !

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Note It is assumed that the Royal Khanjar adopted the scabbard design from this one..so that it was only the Royal dagger hilt that Sheherazad (wife of the Sultan in about 1850) designed.