Original Item: Only One Available. This is a fantastic example of a Mid-19th Century Jambiya dagger originating from the Middle East. A jambiya in the Levant, is a specific type of dagger with a short curved blade with a medial ridge that originated from the Hadhramaut Governorate region of Yemen. They have spread to other countries in the Middle East, to other countries in the Arab world, and to parts of South Asia and Southeast Asia. Men typically above the age of 14 wear it as an accessory to their clothing.

The jambiya were taken by travelers to other cultures including the Ottoman Empire, Persia and India, where they were adopted with slight differences to the blade, hilt and scabbard. The jambia was given its name because it is worn on the side of a person – the word jambia is derived from the Arabic word janb (Arabic: جنب, lit. 'side'). A jambia is constituted of a handle, a blade, and a sheath in which the blade is held. It is made of a certain sort of wood, to hold the blade that is fixed to the waist from underneath with an upward curved sheath. The belt that holds the jambia is made of tanned leather, or some thick cloth. There are specialized markets and handicraft markets that decorate it with golden wires.

The jambia handle often tells of the social status of the man who wears it. Jambias were often made with ivory handles like the one seen on this example. The most famous sort of the jambia is that which has a "saifani" or ivory handle. It has a dim yellowish luster which can be clearly seen with this handle. The more translucent ivory will turn a yellow color with age. This is called "saifani heart". Some of the ivory handles are called "asadi", when they turn into greenish yellow. When the handle becomes whitish yellow, it is called "zaraf". There is also an albasali (onionish), a kind whose color resembles that of a white onion.

The hilt on this example is in really good condition with lovely aged cracking often seen with these older ivory pieces. The handle is still complete and is presented without any significant damage. The ivory handle jambia is often worn as a sign of high social status. They are typically used by most Yemeni people, except those in the city of Aden where most of them have given up using it. The Jambiya hasn't been specialized for a particular person in the country, but the valuable ones can be found with a particular person, like judges, famous merchants and businessmen.

The double edged blade of the jambiya is constructed of steel which in some cases is damascus or wootz steel. This example features a lovely 9 ½” wootz steel blade with some of the design still able to be seen. Wootz steel, also known as Seric steel, is a crucible steel characterized by a pattern of bands and high carbon content. These bands are formed by sheets of microscopic carbides within a tempered martensite or pearlite matrix in higher carbon steel, or by ferrite and pearlite banding in lower carbon steels. It was a pioneering steel alloy developed in southern India in the mid-1st millennium BC and exported globally. The blade is in fantastic condition with minimal peppering or staining. There is no significant damage and the edge is free of nicks and is still quite sharp!

The blade is stored in a sheath known as 'Asib, usually made of wood covered with metal, leather or cloth with this one being a lovely crosshatched pattern leather. The sheath can be decorated with various ornaments that signify status. These include silver work, semi-precious stones, and leather. The sheath can be fixed to a leather belt, which is normally 2–3 inches wide. The belt is usually worn around the lower abdomen. The width of the belt this would have been worn on would be 2 inches due to the length of the belt loop present on the back. There are often other items attached to this belt, such as a silver purse for containing money and change. Sometimes, Jambiyas are made from shrapnel left over from missiles in a war.

This is overall an excellent example and would fit in nicely with your edged weapons collection! Comes more than ready for further research and display.

Dimensions:
Blade length: 9 3/4”
Blade Style: Double Edged Curved
Overall length: 14 1/2”
Crossguard: 2”
Scabbard Length: 10 1/2"