Ancient un-named Omani khanjars

Some ancient khanjars are privately owned and have been inherited from parents and grandparents, while others are located in museums. With or without a defined geographical provenance they still contribute to the typology of the khanjar.

 

Ancient khanjars with a proven geographical provenance

1.    The khanjar in this example belongs to the Ad Dahirah governorate and it is on display in the Bait Al Zubair Museum, and features the following specifications:

The ancient Ad Dahirah governorate khanjar

i.              Handle: This handle shares the same design as the Al Nizwani and Al Batini khanjar handles with a T-shape. The ferrule design is in the al qala style.

Handle of The ancient Ad Dahirah governorate khanjar

ii.            Scabbard upper cover: The designs on the scabbard upper cover area are in the form of twigs wrapped in a circular motion, comprising three circles connected by small leaves. The designs in this area are of al qala design, which can be found on the Al Batini khanjar.

Scabbard upper cover of the ancient Ad Dahirah governorate khanjar

iii.           Belt holder: The belt holder is slanted. There are four rings on the belt holder, the two outer rings have a conical head shape which can be found on the Al Nizwani khanjar.

Belt holder of the ancient Ad Dahirah governorate khanjar

iv.           Scabbard cover: This is covered with silver. What distinguishes this type of khanjar are the design in the al qala style.

Scabbard cover of the ancient Ad Dahirah governorate khanjar

 

2.    The khanjar in this example belongs to the Al Wusta governorate and it is on display in the Bait Al Zubair Museum, and features the following specifications:

The Al Wusta governorate khanjar

i.              Handle: This handle shares the same design as the Al Nizwani, Al Batini and Al Suri khanjar handles, but it is a little shorter, and is mixed with the Al Sifani handle as well. It is covered with al tikasir silver design carvings on the entire top and towards the bottom to the beginning of the ferrule with the left side edges without design silver, exposing the original handle material. The same designs design can be found in the first Al Saidi handle design.

Handle of the Al Wusta governorate khanjar

ii.            Scabbard upper cover: The design on the scabbard upper cover area comes in overlapping square motifs with Omani and Islamic motifs surrounding a circular shape in the middle. The same designs design can be found on the Al Saidi scabbard upper cover in the first and second design.

Scabbard upper cover of the Al Wusta governorate khanjar

iii.           Belt holder: This kind of khanjar comes with seven rings, three on the scabbard cover and four in the belt holder area. Connecting them are silver wires in the form of a strand of twisted wires known locally as sim mahius. Another feature of this area is that the two outer rings have a conical head shape which can be found on the Al Nizwani khanjar.

Belt holder of the Al Wusta governorate khanjar

iv.           Scabbard cover: This area is covered by silver wire, in the form of sim mahius. What distinguishes this kind of khanjar is that these silver wire strings exist only on the lower half of both the al chandah, and al mekhalh. The design consists of al tikasir silver. The scabbard cover area is shaped diagonally from the top towards to the chape, more so than the rest of the Omani khanjars, and can only be found in the Al Suri khanjar. Linking the area of Al Mekhalh and the Belt silver chain are small balls called mirqat, which are attached to al mekhalh with the belt to make the khanjar slant when you wear it.

Scabbard cover of the Al Wusta governorate khanjar