A shibriya with a jambiya type blade

motan · 29th June 2020, 05:04 PM

Hi Yvain,
I can not say too much about this one except that it is Palestinian. The tell-tale signs are the halve circle decorations on the scabbard.
You can call it Shibriya, but classic Shibriyas have a recurve blade, at least most of the time. In my experience, locals call it Khanjar, which is the generic word for dagger in Arabic.
It is primitive, village- type dagger and a member of a family of small, horn-hilted daggers from Ottoman Southern Syria and British Palestine. It is a genuine ethnographic piece that was carried in daily life.
I am trying to find a production center of these dagger for several years now, but I have not found it yet. Some local experts say that only classical shibriyas were used in most of the country and that these daggers are from Northernmost Palestine and Southern Lebanon. Another theory is that they were made the Gaza area. Anyway, it is also possible that they preceded real shibriyas, because most Palestinian Shibriyas are quite late. Who knows?
In construction and materials it is very similar to the horse-head daggers I have, and judging by the construction and thickness of the blade, it looks like one from the late Ottoman period.
Here's one of mine.

29th June 2020, 05:04 PM	#3
motan Member Join Date: Apr 2016 Location: Jerusalem Posts: 274	Hi Yvain, I can not say too much about this one except that it is Palestinian. The tell-tale signs are the halve circle decorations on the scabbard. You can call it Shibriya, but classic Shibriyas have a recurve blade, at least most of the time. In my experience, locals call it Khanjar, which is the generic word for dagger in Arabic. It is primitive, village- type dagger and a member of a family of small, horn-hilted daggers from Ottoman Southern Syria and British Palestine. It is a genuine ethnographic piece that was carried in daily life. I am trying to find a production center of these dagger for several years now, but I have not found it yet. Some local experts say that only classical shibriyas were used in most of the country and that these daggers are from Northernmost Palestine and Southern Lebanon. Another theory is that they were made the Gaza area. Anyway, it is also possible that they preceded real shibriyas, because most Palestinian Shibriyas are quite late. Who knows? In construction and materials it is very similar to the horse-head daggers I have, and judging by the construction and thickness of the blade, it looks like one from the late Ottoman period. Here's one of mine. Attached Images