Heavey Fullered Hijaz Jambiya

[kahnjar1]

Hi Steve, and a Happy New Year.
I was watching this one but due to high price and apparent damage, decided to pass. Nice piece though....
Firstly what you have is definitely a Dharia. These come in many lengths, and if you check the pic, the guy on the left has a very long Dharia compared with his companions. I have also attached a pic of three similar ones which I have. The shortest is 19 3/4" long and the biggest 26 1/2".
Some comment which you may find useful. The hilt of your Dharia appears to be made in sandwich style rather than solid horn. The pins which hold the slabs together are clearly visible.
The blade style is not unusual. A similar blade is shown in Elgood's book Arms and Armour of Arabia on page 79, and I have a Dharia with this type of blade and also a Jambiya with a multi fullered blade. I believe that it is likely that these blades are probably machine made rather than hand forged. There is evidence that steel rolling equipment existed in Arabia quite early in the 20th century. The armour piercing aspect I do not think is valid as the Arab tribes did not, as far as I am aware, use armour to any extent, if at all.
As to age of your piece, I would put it at around mid 20th century, maybe 1950 ish, perhaps a little later.
Hope this helps.
Stu