Oman · Mask / Carnival / Performance Costume Craft
Khanjar; qarn (hilt/horn); toq (the section just below the hilt); sidr (chest, the central decorated section); tooms (the fitting that determines how the khanjar sits when worn)
The making of the khanjar, a required part of formal dress for Omani men and a central national symbol appearing on the Omani flag itself, worn belted over the robe at weddings, state functions, and other formal occasions, with no such event considered complete without it. Mohammed Al Sayegh, a master craftsman from the coastal city of Sur near Oman's eastern tip, is the scion of a family that has been making khanjar for more than 100 years, their mastery appreciated from the Batinah plains to Dhofar; directly interviewed by The National, he described the onerous, entirely hand-worked process: 'The silver, the threading, all of it we do by hand, big or small. The work is strenuous and very tiring.' A single dagger can take from a few weeks to several months to complete. Al Sayegh described the construction sequence in detail: first measuring the intended length -- in Sur, khanjar measurements start from five inches and go up to six, with anything longer requiring a specially made, larger khanjar like those made in Nizwa -- then fixing leather to the wood core, followed by the sidr (chest, its floral patterns sprouting outward in all directions), then the toq, and finally the tooms, the fitting that determines how the khanjar will sit on the wearer's body; in Nizwa, craftsmen prefer the khanjar to stand straight up, while in Sur, the preferred angle is slanted to the side. Al Sayegh learned this traditional method in his own father's workshop: 'My brother, myself, my father, my grandfather, and those before them -- we all worked on khanjar.' Regional styles are distinct and specifically named: the Saidiyah khanjar, named after Sultan Said bin Sultan (who became Sultan in 1804), is worn straight in the center by the Al Said royal family, distinguished by its silver handle and considered the largest and most expensive type; the Dakhiliyah or Al Nizwani khanjar, worn diagonally, has a very broad ivory handle; the Suri style, named after the Wilayat of Sur, is small and lightweight with a typically gilded hilt; and the Bedouin style, or al Sifani, is made entirely of wood, found specifically in al Wusta and North Al Sharqiyah. In 2023, the Omani khanjar was formally inscribed on UNESCO's list of intangible cultural heritage, though the tradition faces documented decline as fewer young Omani men choose to wear it in daily life.
Risk level: Vulnerable · Inscribed 2023 on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity
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