Attention to Emirati heritage and public awareness of the vocabulary contained in it were the two motives behind the specialization of Abdullah Thani Rashid Al Matrooshi in the field of research on the history of the Emirati dagger, and the launching and participation in a number of initiatives related to the dagger and revival, most notably the initiative launched by the Committee for the management of festivals and cultural and heritage programs - Abu Dhabi, to revive heritage practices related to the Emirati dagger, and to cherish the values ​​associated with this heritage.

Al Matrooshi, who is participating in the current edition of the Abu Dhabi International Hunting and Equestrian Exhibition, which is held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Ruler's Representative in Al Dhafra Region, Chairman of the Emirates Falconers Club, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Center until 31 August. With the UAE Today, his participation in the exhibition is the second, represented in the «Emirates Dagger Corner», which comes within the pavilion of the Committee for the management of festivals and cultural programs and heritage - Abu Dhabi, pointing out that the exhibition includes approximately 15 daggers, whose designs derive from the forms and designs daggers It was worn by the sheikhs of the Emirates, of which Khnaj It matches the dagger worn by His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the State, in 1967, which is made of silver and gold-plated. Another example is a copy of the late Sheikh Shakhbout bin Sultan Al Nahyan.

The pavilion also includes «Abu Dhabi Dagger», an initiative through which he designed a dagger bearing the emblem of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, to be issued exclusively to be manufactured only 100 pieces of it, which is made of silver, Indian buffalo horns and local camel leather and the blade is made of chrome, The price of the piece is approximately 10,000 dirhams. The exhibition also includes a collection of daggers for children, where the old images show that even the children were wearing daggers in the UAE, and a new design of the «T-shirt» carrying a drawing of the dagger, belt and Bneid, to look like wearing a dagger.

«House of pigs»

Al-Matroushi explained that it aims to introduce the history of the Emirati dagger, which is characterized by a unique design and inscriptions different from other daggers in the Arabian Peninsula, and to spread the culture of wearing it in the traditional way that was prevalent in the old, before it stopped in the late sixties, and manufacture And take care of him. The initiative includes several steps, the first of which was the launch of a page of the Emirati dagger on the site «Instagram», to educate the local public and visitors of different nationalities of the Emirati dagger and its specifications, the page contains nearly 1500 images, reflecting the status of the dagger in the UAE heritage, the oldest of these images dating back to 1904 for Zaid I, sitting in front of the fortress palace and wearing a dagger. The second step of the initiative was the establishment of a museum under the name of "House of the Pigs" in the neighborhood of Al-Fahidi, which includes ancient collections and models of various daggers, the oldest dagger dating back 80 years. While the third phase included the establishment of a workshop for the manufacture of daggers, old forms manually, and includes a photography studio so that visitors can take pictures of them in uniforms and dagger Emirati, pointing out that there is a great interaction of different nationalities to visit the exhibition, and get acquainted with the heritage of the UAE, explaining that heritage is not exclusive to its owners And its definition is part of the efforts to revitalize tourism in the country.

Al Matrooshi pointed out his keenness to participate in various events to introduce the UAE dagger, such as hunting and equestrian exhibition, and Sweihan Heritage Festival, in addition to providing training workshops in Al Muwaiji Palace in Al Ain and Dubai, which include workshops about the dagger, the stages of manufacture and how to wear it.

Regulations

Abdullah al-Matroushi explained that the revival of the tradition of wearing dagger does not contradict the nature of life at the moment, as it can be organized according to specific regulations and legislation under the supervision of the Ministry of Interior, to prevent the wrong use of it, and models can be implemented without blades for decoration only.

1500

Image, reflect the niche

Dagger in Heritage

The Emirati.