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37-714: Rahmah Ibn Jabir Al Jalahma was a notable member of the clan. They were expelled from Umm Qasr by the Ottomans due to their predatory habits of preying on caravans in Basra and trading ships in Shatt al-Arab . They migrated to Kuwait thereafter. Around the 1760s, the Jalahimas, along with the Al Khalifas, migrated to Zubarah in modern-day Qatar , leaving Al Sabah as the sole proprietors of Kuwait. The two tribes established

74-512: A naval battle against the Al Khalifas, to which the result was favorable to the Al Khalifas. The heated confrontations between the Al Jalahmas and Al Khalifas came to a head when a naval battle ensued between the aforementioned in 1826, which resulted in the deaths of many, including famous pilot Ahmad ibn Salman Al Khalifa, after Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah blew up his own ship in close quarters. Even after its secession from Bani Utbah ,

111-483: A 300-ton vessel, manned by 350 men. He would later have as many as 2,000 followers, many of them black slaves. At one point his flagship was the "Al-Manowar" (derived from English). His name, Rahmah ibn Jabir ibn Adhbi Al Jalhami, means Rahmah son of Jabir son of Adhbi of the Jalahimah. His name should be written "Al Jalhami" if transliterated from Arabic, as " Al Jalahimah " is the plural name for his tribe. Rahmah

148-567: A free-trade port at Zubarah's harbor, but the Al Khalifas refused to share the economic gains with the Al Jalahmah, and so the latter migrated to Al Ruwais. The Al Khalifa went on to monopolize the pearl banks around Qatar. Putting aside their grievances, the Utub tribes of Al Jalahma and Al Khalifa, along with some Arab tribes, drove out the Persians from Bahrain in 1783 in an expedition which

185-411: A greenish yellow. When the handle becomes whitish yellow, it is called "zaraf". There is also an albasali ("onionish") kind, the colour of which resembles that of a white onion. The ivory handle jambiya is often worn as a sign of high social status. They are typically used by most Yemeni people, except those in the coastal cities of Aden and Mukalla where most of them have given up using it because it

222-442: A hardwood handle anyway. Many street-side charlatans will proclaim to sell ivory-handled jambiyas whilst actually selling poorly-made blades with white plastic handles. The most famous type of jambiya is that which has a "saifani" or ivory handle; it has a dim yellowish lustre. The more translucent ivory will turn a yellow colour with age and is called "saifani heart". Some of the ivory handles are called "asadi" when they turn into

259-453: A jambiya is its hilt (handle). The saifani hilt is made of rhinoceros horn, which can cost up to $ 1500 per kilogram; poaching of Black Rhinos for this purpose has led them to become critically endangered. It is used on the daggers of wealthier citizens. Different versions of saifani hilts can be distinguished by their colour. Other janbiya hilts are made of a different types of horn, wood, metal and ivory from elephants and walrus. Apart from

296-588: A leather belt, which is normally 2–3 inches (5.1–7.6 cm) wide. The belt is usually worn around the lower abdomen. 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. Despite the cultural significance of the jambiya, it is still a weapon. Although people have used it in times of dispute, there are societal norms that must be followed in order to avoid defamation . The jambiya should only come out of its sheath in extreme cases of conflict. It

333-680: A raid on a vessel owned by the Al Khalifa rulers of Bahrain. Upon discovering the stolen goods, his nephew, Sheikh Ahmed bin Salman Al Khalifa, decided to recover the items and intercept Rahmah at sea. To ensure he could reach his uncle swiftly, Sheikh Ahmed augmented his boat’s speed by borrowing the oars from the vessel of Isa bin Tarif Al Binali , the chief of the Al Binali tribe. As the confrontation neared, Rahmah, who

370-654: A short duration, Rahmah had captured eighteen Utub vessels. However, in 1811, the combined forces of Said bin Sultan , Sultan of the Omani Empire and the Al Khalifa successfully drove out the Wahhabi from Qatar and Bahrain. Rahmah then transferred his headquarters from Khor Hassan to his fort in Dammam. In 1816, he allied himself with the rulers of Muscat in their failed invasion of Bahrain, and broke his alliance with

407-540: A struggle for leadership of the tribe; consequently, the tribe adopted piracy as a livelihood. His base in Khor Hassan, which would serve as his base of operation against the Al Khalifa, was surrounded by a protected bay which contributed to the area's defensive capabilities. He resided in a fort with mud walls and there were only a few huts in the vicinity. As a result of no centralized authority existing in Qatar from

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444-453: Is also commonly used in traditional events, such as dances. Like with some other curved knives, as the blade bends towards the opponent, the user need not angle the wrist, which makes it more comfortable as a stabbing weapon than straight-bladed knives. Its heavy blade enables the user to inflict deep wounds. A jambiya is a short dagger worn by men in Yemen . The handle of a jambiya tells

481-695: The Wahhabis of Arabia, who assumed control over much of the territory encompassing the Persian Gulf . Conversely, the Al Khalifas aligned itself with the Wahhabis' main opposition; the Omanis. In 1811, Said bin Sultan of Muscat capitalized on an opportunity to attack the Wahhabi garrisons in Bahrain and Zubarah and the Al Khalifas were returned to power. The same year, Rahmah ibn Jabir al-Jalahimah fought

518-513: The 18th to 19th centuries, Rahmah was able to establish dominion over much of the peninsula for a period after the Al Khalifa relocated to Bahrain. Rahmah's alliances with regional powers tended to be on the basis of shared opposition to the Al Khalifa: he formed an alliance with the first Saudi dynasty when it conquered Bahrain , and he founded and relocated to the fort of Dammam in 1809. Though some of his exploits were deemed piratical by

555-651: The 1960s Charles Belgrave wrote of how old men in the coffee shops throughout the region would still talk of his exploits. Janbiya A jambiya ( Arabic : جنبية ), is a specific type of dagger with a short curved blade with a medial ridge that originated from the Hadhramaut region in 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

592-597: The Al Jalahma clan is still widely regarded by many to be a part of the tribal confederation. Members of the clan are scattered in all over the Arabian Peninsula, Most Al Jalahmas are found in Kuwait, Qatar, Ksa and Bahrain. Rahmah ibn Jabir Al Jalhami Rahmah ibn Jabir ibn Adhbi al-Jalhami ( Arabic : رحمة بن جابر بن عذبي الجلهمي ; c. 1760–1826) was an Arab ruler in the Persian Gulf region and

629-483: The Al Khalifa and went to war with them at the beginning of 1826. After a great number of casualties on his side, he fled to Bushehr where he sought material and military assistance from the British political resident. Having failed to convince the British for aid, he set off to Dammam with a reinforcement of 35 Balochis from Bushehr and continued waging his war against the Al Khalifa. In October 1826, Rahmah launched

666-525: The British in which he agreed not to harbour any fugitivites in return for the sparing of the town. The British also sent a warning to the Saudi amir to demand the prevention of Rahmah from launching any attacks on the British. He influenced the Saudis to launch an invasion of Bahrain in 1809. That greatly strengthened his position in Qatar, rendering him the most powerful tribal leader in the peninsula. Within

703-524: The British statesman Charles Belgrave as "one of the most vivid characters the Persian Gulf has produced, a daring freebooter without fear or mercy" (ironically, his first name means "mercy" in Arabic ). He began life as a horse dealer, and used the money he had saved to buy his first ship and with ten companions began a career of buccaneering . He was so successful that he soon acquired a new craft,

740-462: The British, J. G. Lorimer , a British historian, remarks on Rahmah's scrupulously correct conduct and his compliance with the laws of warfare. He generally avoided encounters with British cruisers so that he would not incur their anger. In 1809, after the British expedition of the Pirate Coast, many Qasimi refugees fled to Khor Hassan. Rahmah, the leader of Khor Hassan, reached a compromise with

777-489: The English gentlemen present, with a tone of encouragement and familiarity, whether he could not still dispatch an enemy with his boneless arm, he drew a crooked dagger, or yambeah , from the girdle round his shirt, and placing his left hand, which was sound, to support the elbow of the right, which was the one that was wounded, he grasped the dagger firmly with his clenched fist, and drew it backward and forward, twirling it at

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814-621: The Saudis. The Saudis then destroyed the fort of Dammam in July 1816, and he took refuge in Bushehr , bringing around 500 families with him. Said bin Sultan proposed that he become a subject of Muscat and settle in Oman, but Rahmah refused. He moved back to Dammam in 1818. He assisted the British forces in the Persian Gulf campaign of 1819 against the Al-Qasimi of Ras Al Khaimah . The operation

851-455: The age of 14 wear it as an accessory to their clothing. The jambiya was given its name because it is worn on the side of a person—the word jambiya is derived from the Arabic word janb ( Arabic : جنب , lit.   'side'). A jambiya 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

888-547: The beginning of 1825 and lent his assistance to Sheikh Tahnoon Bin Shakhbout in his expedition against the Qasimi tribe of Ras Al Khaimah . Near the end of that year, he commenced a series of predatory attacks on Qatif as punishment for the non-payment of the protection tax owed to him. The British chose not to intervene in his actions provided his attacks were limited to the inhabitants of Qatif. He soon reshifted his focus to

925-439: The economic gain made from trade ventures. Rahmah's tribe nonetheless agreed to fight alongside the Al Khalifa in their battle against the Persians in Bahrain in 1783 . After Bahrain was annexed by the Al Khalifa, Rahmah's tribe, feeling dissatisfied with their share of the rewards, moved first to Bushehr and eventually to Khor Hassan in northwest Qatar. Over a short course of time, Rahmah overtook his eldest brother Abdullah in

962-516: The material used for the hilt, the design and detail is a measure of its value and the status of its owner. The double edged blade of the jambiya is constructed of steel which in some cases is damascus or wootz steel . The blade is stored in a sheath known as 'Asib ( Arabic : العسيب ), usually made of wood covered with metal, leather or cloth. 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

999-490: The mockery, Sheikh Ahmed and his crew boarded Rahmah’s ship, leading to a fierce sword fight. Realizing his death was imminent and learning that his loyal slave, Tarar, had been killed, Rahmah retreated to the inner galley of his ship with his eight-year-old son, Shaheen. There, he lit the gunpowder kegs with charcoal from his hookah causing the ship to explode, killing all of his men and the Al Khalifa men that were raiding his ship. Rahmah's legacy lasted long after his death; in

1036-436: The same time, and saying, that he desired nothing better than to have the cutting of as many throats as he could effectually open with this lame hand! Instead of being shocked at the utterance of such a brutal wish, and such a savage triumph at still possessing the power to murder unoffending victims, I know not how to describe my feeling of shame and sorrow, when a loud burst of laughter, instead of execration, escaped from nearly

1073-416: The status of the man who wears it. The jambiya handle often tells of the social status of the man who wears it. Jambiyas were often made with ivory handles. The manufacturers most often receive this material through smugglers, due to the international ban on the substance. As ivory has only ever had ornamental merit in such an application, those that recognize the jambiya as a tool and/or weapon tend to prefer

1110-505: The waist from underneath with an upward curved sheath. The belt that holds the jambiya is made of tanned leather, or some thick cloth. There are specialised markets and handicraft markets that decorate it with golden wires. 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 . A significant part of

1147-614: The whole assembly, when I ventured to express my dissent from the general feeling of admiration for such a man. He was born in Grane (present-day Kuwait ) around 1760. Rahmah's father, Jabir bin Adhbi, led their tribe from Kuwait to Zubarah in Qatar around 1766. After his tribe migrated alongside the Al Khalifa , the two had a subsequent falling out after the Al Khalifa refused to share

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1184-533: Was banned during the rule of the Yemeni Socialist Party in South Yemen . The jambiya hasn't been reserved in use for a particular class of person in the country but the valuable ones can be found with particularly influential persons like judges, famous merchants and businessmen. Antique jambiyas that have been worn by historically significant people can fetch exorbitant prices like that of

1221-823: Was carried out after repeated incidents of piracy perpetrated against British-flagged vessels by the Al-Qasimi. In January 1820, he and his crew were in preparation to launch a naval invasion on Bahrain from Qatif 's port but aborted their plans after being warned by the British. The following month, he travelled to Shiraz with three vessels to proffer his assistance to the prince of Shiraz in his planned expedition of Bahrain. His hostilities against Bahrain continued throughout 1821 and 1822; he and his crew went on to capture 7 Bahraini vessels and kill 20 men. He settled in Bushehr from November 1822 until February 1824, whereupon he returned to his residence in Dammam. He went to Muscat at

1258-438: Was described by James Silk Buckingham : Rahmah ben-Jaber's figure presented a meagre trunk, with four lank members, all of them cut and hacked, and pierced with wounds of sabres, spears, and bullets, in every part, to the number perhaps of more than twenty different wounds. He had, besides, a face naturally ferocious and ugly, and now rendered still more so by several scars there, and by the loss of one eye. When asked by one of

1295-413: Was described by his contemporary, the English traveler and author, James Silk Buckingham , as "the most successful and the most generally tolerated pirate , perhaps, that ever infested any sea." As a pirate, he had a reputation for being ruthless and fearless. He wore an eyepatch after losing an eye in battle, which makes him the earliest documented pirate to have worn an eyepatch. He was described by

1332-515: Was launched in part due to Persian aggression towards Zubarah in 1782. Al Jalahma seceded from the Utub alliance sometime before the Utub annexed Bahrain in 1783, and the Al Jalahma returned to Zubarah as they considered themselves treated unfairly by the Al Khalifas as they were betrayed by them. AlKhalifa did not share their political or territorial gains. This left Al Khalifa in undisputed possession of Bahrain. The Al Jalahma tribe allied itself with

1369-519: Was nearly blind due to cataracts , noticed an approaching boat and inquired about its captain. When informed it was his nephew, Sheikh Ahmed, he ridiculed him, remarking, “The son of Maryoom sails?”—a reference to Ahmed’s mother, Maryam, who was Rahmah’s sister. His astonishment stemmed from maritime tradition, where young men typically only commanded ships after marriage, as this signified their readiness for responsibility. Rahmah retorted, “How can he set sail if he has not approached fair maidens?” Despite

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