Khanjar
An Omani dagger with a J-shaped curved blade, worn tucked at the middle of the waist; a mark of manhood and part of Oman's national emblem.
Quick Facts
About the weapon
The khanjar is a traditional dagger from the Sultanate of Oman. The Dutch visitor Robert Padbrugge recorded it in 1672 in Muscat, and carvings on tombstones in the Ru'us al-Jibal region depict it as early as before the end of the 18th century. The same name also denotes a 19th-century Mughal Indian dagger in the Metropolitan Museum of Art; we have not been able to establish the shape of its blade from the sources, so we do not know whether it is the same type. The blade of the Omani khanjar is shaped like the letter J and curved like a hook. Royal hilts were made of gold or silver, ordinary ones of brass and copper; the standard used to be rhinoceros horn and ivory, which after international bans have been replaced by wood, plastic or camel bone. The Mughal piece in the Metropolitan Museum is made of steel, jade and gold, decorated with ruby, emerald, beryl, crystal and turquoise; it measures 35.6 cm, of which the blade is 23.2 cm, and weighs about 397 g. The khanjar is worn tucked at the middle of the waist, which expresses the wearer's status. In the desert it served for hunting, skinning game and cutting rope. Drawing it from its scabbard without drawing blood is considered taboo; formerly it was drawn only for revenge or self-defence. The khanjar embodies manhood, power and authority. Sons receive one on reaching adolescence, and it is a common wedding gift. Since the 18th century it has been a symbol of the Al Said dynasty and appears on Oman's national emblem, on the one-rial banknote, on postage stamps and on government buildings.