Khanjar

A khanjar (Arabic: خنجر‎, Persian: خنجر‎‎, Turkish: Hançer) is a traditional dagger originating from Oman. Worn by men for ceremonial occasions, it is a short curved sword shaped like the letter "J" and resembles a hook. It can be made from a variety of different materials, depending on the quality of its craftsmanship. It is a popular souvenir among tourists and is sold in souqs throughout the region. A national symbol of the sultanate, the khanjar is featured on the country's national emblem and on the Omani rial. It is also utilized in logos and commercial imagery by companies based in Oman.

History

Although it is not known when the Omani khanjar was first created, rock carvings epitomizing the dagger were found on gravestones located in the central part of the Ru’us al Jibal region. These are believed to have predated the Wahhabi revival, which occurred in the late 1700s. They were also mentioned in an account by Robert Padbrugge of the Dutch Republic, who journeyed to Muscat in June 1672. Historically, only men from the royal family could wear the khanjar. However, all civilian men were permitted to do so after 1970, the year when Qaboos bin Said al Said – the current Sultan of Oman – overthrew his father Said bin Taimur and began to institute reforms to modernize the country.

Khanjar (1980 film)

Khanjar (Hindi: ख़ंजर; transliteration: Dagger) is a 1980 Hindi language film produced and directed by Atmaram. This action thriller casts Navin Nischol in the lead with the support cast of Reena Roy, Suresh Oberoi, Amjad Khan, Jankidas, Jayshree T., Jeevan, K. N. Singh, Mehmood, Murad, Reeta Bhaduri, Sajjan, Shekhar Kapur. Nitin Mangeshkar scored the music for this film, with the lyrics written by Maya Govind.

The story, in brief, is about a dagger used in a criminal investigation, and the mysterious deaths around the life of its custodian.

Plot

Prakash (Navin Nischol), a librarian, lives with his daughter. One day, his friend and private detective Captain Usman (Suresh Oberoi) visits him and gives him a diary along with a dagger (Khanjar) to safeguard them. He also informs about their importance for a case under his investigation and threatens by some gangsters about them. Soon after this, Prakash learns that Usman is murdered. He also receives a call from a stranger enquiring about Usman's diary and the dagger. Meanwhile, a smart girl named Preeti (Reena Roy) starts to flirt and get closer to him to know about the diary and the dagger. Prakash notices her acts, illustrates to the police the story of Usman's diary, the dagger, his murder and Preeti's attempts for them. They instruct him to follow her to learn about the gangsters she works with. Upon his insistence, Preeti informs about her activities under the instructions of Prince (Amjad Khan). Soon Prince learns about her behaviour and kills her. After few days, his brother-in-law Ramesh (Shekhar Kapur), married to his younger sister Jyothi (Rita Bhaduri), is also found murdered. Disturbed by these mysterious murders leading to the dagger, Prakash and his magician friends Jagat (Mehmood) and Rasvanti (Jashree T.) visit an old town Udaigarh, famous for Swamiji (Amjad Khan). One mystery leads to a deeper mystery and a series of thrilling events unravel the mystery of the khanjar.