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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall
Far from my usual fields of study, but to me it does seem tempting to associate these Arabian sa'if hilts to the sharply canted hilts of the klewang of certain forms. While the highly stylized hilts of many of these and other Indonesian and Malay weapons seem to represent zoomorphic forms of indiscernible nature, the sharply canted hilt may have inspired Arab traders to adopt such forms.
The hilt from the article by Goetz shown as one of the oldest Mughal weapons in the original post is attributed to Sultan Akbar c.1603 as noted, but curiously in the Goetz article the hilt is stated to be from a Malay kris.
This seems an odd attribution, and it does not seem that this canted hilt style developed into any Indian sword form I know of offhand.
In the book, "Weapons:The Diagram Group" (1980, p.36, #13) the Arabian sa'if of this discussion is described as having a distinctive pommel, and 'found wherever there have been Arab communities'. This suggests that the hilt form was widely known throughout Arab trade routes, but of course does not specify where it might have originated.
These type hilts seem of course very close to the hilt shape of the well known Moroccan sa'if familiarly called the nimcha, which seem to have been present in that form into the earlier years of the 17th century. The main difference would be the sharper cant and triple projection theme. The 1603 Mughal hilt is tempting but to me seems more of a singular representation of outside influence. I have always noticed that the versions of the baskethilt khanda in Hindu colonized regions are typically sharply canted if I recall correctly. Perhaps this indicates the preference for this affectation outside the subcontinent proper.
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Salaams Jim ~ In the far off distant past (excuse for I cant remember when !) I noted that the shape of the Zanzibar hilt could have come from either the Moroccan side across Africa by land route or around Africa with the Portuguese... or... from further east... I think the latter link needs looking at... It may indeed be from there
It would be astonishing if that were the case since we also attribute (possibly) that the Kastane may have been influenced by Moorish traders (possibly) operating sea routes between Europe (Red Sea) Africa and Asia whereas it has been common practice to ignore the influence from the far east.
We may have the whole thing inside out !!
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.