This distinctive dagger from an earlier QBO sale is known as a Khanjar (or Janbiya). The Khanjar holds great cultural significance and the knife is especially associated with masculinity. The J-shaped blade is made of steel, while the flared handle can be elaborately decorated metal, wood or even rhino horn (thankfully prohibited since 1977 by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species). Sheaths are leather and wood crusted in silver embellishments. This one was mounted in a display case but many wear them on special occasions.
The ceremonial knife originated in the Sultanate of Oman, located on the coast of the Arabian Peninsula, at the mouth of the Persian Gulf. From the 17th through 19th centuries the Omani Sultanate was a powerful maritime empire fiercely competing with other maritime empires like the British and the Portuguese for control of Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean trade routes. In the 19th and 20th centuries Great Britain seized parts of Oman’s coastline but never managed to rule the majority of the country so among all Arab states, Oman has been independent the longest. Oman’s economy is based on oil, agriculture (especially dates), tourism and as a coastal country, fishing. In the 20th century Oman became a military and political ally of both Great Britain and the U.S., so currently there a few hundred American troops stationed there.
Today Oman remains an absolute monarchy headed up by the Sultan and Prime Minister of Oman, Haitham bin Tariq, who inherited power when the prior Sultan Qaboos bin Said passed away. Since Sultan Qaboos bin Said didn’t have children, he named the cousin who served as his Minister of Heritage and Culture for 18 years as his successor. Once the rest of the royal Al Bu Said family agreed, Haitham bin Tariq became Sultan in 2020 at the dignified age of 65.
Sultans must dress the part and the Khanjar is an important component of His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tarik’s wardrobe. In this official portrait from the Omani government website, the Khanjar is prominently visible, tucked into the front of his waistband as is traditional. In fact, it is difficult to find a photo of the current Sultan without his Khanjar because the ceremonial dagger has become such an important emblem of Oman that it is also featured on the State Seal, the flag and the currency. Many Omani companies incorporate the Khanjar into their logos, and the picturesque, attention-grabbing daggers are also sold in great numbers to tourists, which is probably how this one made it from Oman to Oregon.
And Oman is not the only place that you will see men wearing this masculine blade tucked into their belts. The Khanjar spread outward from Oman along its trade routes, across the rest of the Middle East, South Asia and the Balkans to The United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kurdistan and Turkey, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, The Maldives, Pakistan, Albania, Croatia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina.
You would think from this vast reach that the Khanjar would be thousands of years old, but no. Although curved swords and daggers have been used in the Middle East for many centuries, this dramatically hooked version is relatively new – the first written mention of the Khanjar dates to the late 1600s. The inception and spread of the blade exactly follows the emergence of the Omani Sultanate as it exerted its influence upon the world, so the Khanjar’s popularity is an example of both national pride and some savvy P.R.. Want your own Khanjar? Visit QBO!
Tuesday Treasures was started by our staff member, Jeanne Lusignan. Each week she will be featuring items that have been found at our estate sales. If you would like to submit a treasure for Jeanne to feature in a future installment of “Tuesday’s Treasures”, please follow the button below and send us an email! Please attach a few photos of your treasure in a beautiful setting as well as any details you have about your item such as manufacturer, use, age, region of origin. If you don’t know about the piece, that’s okay! We still might be able to research it for you! Don’t forget to tell us what makes this item such a treasure to you!