[Excalibur2025]

Al-Qadib is nicknamed "The Rod" due to its narrow blade and described as a "defence and companionship sword" not to be used in battle.

Leaving aside the authenticity issue, I just thought that the concept of a "companionship sword" was an interesting one. As we can see from the 20th century photos, the Sultans carried their swords around when on official duties. The shamshir is a wedge shaped sword - it's a big chunk of steel and quite heavy.

The Sultans used the shamshir for ceremonial duties and did not need it to fight in an actual war - so hence the idea of a "companionship" sword which has a narrower blade and would have been a bit lighter. It's hard to tell from the photos with the Sultans' swords in their scabbards but some of them do seem narrow.

Below is the photo of Sultan Khalifa meeting Princess Margaret and carrying his shamshir around with him.