Re: Going to Morocco...need anything?
Posted by Kree Arvanitas on February 02, 2000 at 04:37:18:
In Reply to: Re: Going to Morocco...need anything? posted by Kenzi on February 01, 2000 at 01:14:29:
A khanjer is the curved knife -- there is a henna design that guys are getting in Morocco which is a khanjer with a snake wrapped around it, I have a sample but haven't gotten around to redrawing it. I would love to have a knife in my belt for my faux middle-eastern-medieval costume!
: : Lisa - I'd be interested in a small, but not too expensive khanjer
: than I can tie in my belt. No antiques, but not real shabby, either.
: I hope you have a wonderful trip! I wish I were going! By the way -
: your comment about the root word for Kohl is interesting - in Romany
: the word for 'black" is kalyi (one of my favorite Rom bands is
: called "Kalyi Jag -- Black Fire"). perhaps the arabic and indian
: words spring from the same linguistic source.
: Admitting my ignorance here: what's a khanjer? If you have a photo
: that would help a lot.
: I am sure that the words are related (Rom and Arabic). A lot of
: words in many languages are borrowed from the Arabic: Turkish,
: English, Spanish, Hindi, Persian etc. etc. And now French is being
: infiltrated (although the Alliance Francaise would probably deny it!)
: by Arabic, especially slang from all the 2nd and 3rd generation North
: Africans there. Check out the movie "Hate" ("La Haine") for a real
: earful. Stop me before I go so far off topic as to fall off the edge
: of the earth.