Khanjar

The Khanjar (Arabic: خَنْجَر, Kurdish: xencer, Pashto: خنجر, Bengali: খঞ্জর, romanized: khôñjôr, Dhivehi: ޚަންޖަރު, romanized: khanjaru, Turkish: hançer, Persian: خنجر, Urdu: خنجر, Albanian: hanxhari, Montenegrin: ханџар, romanized: handžar, Bosnian: handžar, Croatian: handžar, Hungarian: handzsár, Kazakh: қанжар, romanized: qanjar) is a traditional dagger originating from the Sultanate of Oman, although it has since spread to the rest of the Middle East (i.e. United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Kurdistan and Turkey), South Asia (i.e. Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives and Pakistan) and the Balkans (i.e. Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia and Montenegro). Worn by men for ceremonial occasions, it is a short curved blade 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 Oman's national emblem and on the Omani rial. It also features in logos and commercial imagery by companies based in Oman.