Khatt ar-raml/sand writing & blade marks?
 

Khatt ar-raml or "sand writing" an Islamic form of geomancy. Not just found in African but the use is strong in Islamic Africa.

While trying to find info on something altogether different. I started to read an essay by Louis Brenner in a Smithsonian Institute Publication- Insight and Artistry in African Divination, available from amazon. This system of divination is a series or pattern of dots thought to originate from stones thrown on to sand. Details of the actual and varied styles of systems used is not fully researched.

Dot patterns are seen on many Saharan blades and other Islamic weapons. These patterns are often shown in very schematic ways. Making me think there could well be more to these than meets the eye.

I cannot type out pages of this book but I will add just a glimpse of the hypothesis. I cannot see any reason why some system of dots are not put down in a talismanic way. Just remember Morse code. This would also have all that magic benifit to it as well.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...happy/K008.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v4...happy/K009.jpg

This is very interesting, the dot patterns are also seen on the scabbards of some aceh swords. I have though with those the pattern has talismantic meaning based on numerology

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v9...eh/azimat5.jpg

how very interesting!

Fascinating!

To me this seems to make good sense and a natural human response to imbue a potent object with good fortune, but who am I to say so. I will bet that nearly all of us could find a possible example and it will be on an Islamic object. It is possible that some marks were/are added as a matter of tradition and no longer active or understood by the makers, and so could also be corrupted in design.