Gusbi Jambiya
Gusbi Jambiya
Hadharem
Qu'aiti Sultanate (Hadhramaut, Yemen)
Early 20th century
Steel, wood, silver, leather, iron, carnelian or glass
Blade: 19,1cm
Hilt & Blade: 31,4cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: 35,2cm
Collection Date: 2016
Collection Number: 76
Ex. American Art Market (2016)
This style of gusbi jambiya is from the Haudhramaut Region in Southern Arabia. Highly decorated in silver mounts, carnelian, or glass red stones with an upswept sheath.
The curved steel blade is double- edged with a prominent forged central ridge. The blade may be of Indian manufacture for the Arab market and mounted in Hadhramaut. The hilt is carved from wood, decorated in granulated and wire silver filigree and metal alloy bands, presumably a tin brass mixture. The reverse side is completely covered in meta alloy. The pommel has a silver filigree rosette that once held a stone, which is now missing.
The wooden sheath is covered in leather fastened with iron rivets, with a sharply upcurved scabbard tip. Decorated with a silver mounted plate on the front with fine filigree work holding nine carnelian or red glass stones. The plate contains at least a medium grade silver content as it is well tarnished. The chape is of a white meta decorated in the same manner of filigree, holding one carnelian or red glass stone. The mounts are different in alloy, whereas the chape is possibly a later replacement as common or from a different silversmith. The red stones are supposed to ensure good health to the wearer. An older example of good quality and somewhat uncommon to find gusbi style jambiyas.
[1] https://oriental-arms.com/product/tribal-bedouin-gusbi-jambiya-dagger-from-hadhramaut/
[2] http://oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=8784
[3] http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=7400
[4] http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=5779
[5] http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=4073
[6] http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=3270
[7] http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=5521
[8] http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=461
[9] http://www.oriental-arms.co.il/item.php?id=505