The Omani Khanjar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams Ed Great questions and here goes~

The Silver is highest grade obtainable and used to be around the 92% which was why they used Maria Theresa Thalers melted down . The other source is silver on the international market again of the highest quality. They import a lot from China but also have their own mines at Sohar .. Megan ...Silver extracted as they dig out copper … Ingots can be purchased there and again top quality stuff . The other source has always been traditionally from a ladys dowry when she dies and since that is always 100% top quality it was a way of retaining a degree of purity in silver. Silver when it is mixed with other metals is dull and lifeless but harder and lasts longer . Pure silver goes into a patina all of its own as it oxidises fast.

CITES is in effect here and the rules are strict for use of hilt material. It amazes me why more use is not made of mammoth and other excellent materials and I am just about to show a white material composite fibrous ceramic that looks and feels like Ivory and takes all the pins like the real thing. Regretably not everyone will take notice of the dwindling stocks of these wild animals. Giraffe horn comes off dead adult African giraffes usually fully grown adult males. The fact is they are protected in law.

Price I cant speak about but the top makers can demand high end valuations and any that are low priced are usually not original Omani crafted..It is quite incredible that the main tools are still a six inch nail and a toffee hammer!

Usually make time is about a month ...It varies on the degree of decoration...The maker will make the belt and scabbard and hilt but may also farm out parts to other makers so you can have a master scabbard maker and a belt maker a hundred or more miles apart... The maker just puts them together although there are makers that can do the whole thing themselves.

The Blade is the most important part. The inspection of a blade looks quite ridiculous ! Taste smell musical note when struck !! So far as I can tell all blades are imported. It is said that meteorite metal is the best ...though not easy to find? New products include Russian blades nicely made in some type of wootz or even only a surface decoration ?

Most Omani Khanjars go to the demand in Oman as other countries close by have their own styles like UAE Bahrain Saudia and Yemen thus the tradition is very strong right here. Naturally the network of Arabian style souks presents Omani work around the region but its best market is right here at home. Millions of tourists also have a massive world market effect.


The weapon is Iconic and the badge of office of Omani heads of family thus can be worn at any time for any occasion by heads of state or men of any age including Eids, weddings, tribal and other meetings or just worn to go down the souk...

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

A note here in support of new materials for hilts where I show a poly ceramic form that looks exactly like Ivory and accepts silver nails in the same way without cracking and does not break when dropped.

[Edster]

Thanks for the thoughtful answers. They round out the khanjar's role within its social context.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Some thought has been put into the belt ...an old style to match this set.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Here are some old belts as examples ~

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

A Word on Blades. (#257 also Refers.)

The excellent work at Omanisilver.com mentions Omani Khanjar Blades as being historically imported from Solingen and as essentially basic blades. Indeed I have seldom seen (until recently) examples of anything other than standard basic quality except on the odd occasion of a Wootz derivative turning up. I know of one Russian importer who specializes in such blades. I have also heard of mysterious blades made from falling meteorites etc etc. The process local people go through is also quite amazing with taste smell and musical note when struck with a flicked finger nail and whether or not a blade and khanjar can be lifted by the very point of the blade between finger and thumb...
Therefor since these are passed down structures I suggest that these methods are mythical (although interesting) . I have never actually seen a failed blade...After all their main purpose is fairly simple thus a basic blade is actually fine.

Blades below from Khanjar Shops. One illustrates blades with some degree of treatment either to the surface or Wootz while the other are the more common form; simple and basic.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Much of the designs used in decorating Omani Khanjars are not recorded and in fact the techniques are mainly done with a hammer and a 6 inch nail thus students trying to observe a technique often cannot find research …

There isn't any\much except here at EAA and on the remarkable website at http://www.khanjar.om/Materials.html.

Here are some further clues in Silver Omani Jewellery pieces … Please see https://britishmuseum.org/pdf/BMTRB_..._and_Meeks.pdf

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Reference:
A. http://www.khanjar.om/Types.html



I have been on the lookout for a certain style of Yemeni dagger which I knew was almost identical to a rarely seen omani variant from the Dhofar Region. Here it is and you may note the main giveaway is the belt...a simple leather style but in the case of the scabbard another hint to its origin using script hammered in near the top. The decorative silver almost birdlike winged structure decorates the top half of the scabbard. The hilt appears to be high density fibre of some sort..Reference A shows the Omani variant and under three different names usually Genoobi (Southern) is used for this style.

A YEMENI DAGGER ON A YEMENI BELT IN OMAN.