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Originally Posted by TVV
Sorry Ibrahim, the evidence is overwhelmingly in support of the use of trade blades on the longer, 18-19th century kattaras. If you go all the way back to the very first post in this thread you will see a kattara blade with a variety of markings - a termometer, eyelashes and crosses. All of those are quite common and can be traced back to well known earlier European examples.
Per Elgood, many of these blades were exported to Alexandria and Cairo, from where they were distributed throughout Arabia. If the Omanis were able to adopt the curved blade (most likely from Caucasian shashkas), then I do not see why they would not adopt the longer broadsword blade a century or so earlier, especially in light of the fact that German and Hungarian blades were very popular throughout the rest of the Arab Peninsula.
Personally, I think you put way too much stock in the cultural and religious barriers to the adoption of weapon forms, both in the case of the Omanis and the Portuguese. The hard evidence in the blades supports the theory that weapon forms diffused through trade, whereas your observations are so far entirely based on conjecture.
Regards,
Teodor
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Salaams Teodor. Please understand that I only seek the facts whether they turn out as based upon a firm religious construction such as the Funun, or some other solid factual historical reference must be viewed in that light; Just the Facts.
I have discovered a possible and very strong likely source of weapons possibly stretching back down the ages centred on Ras Al Khaimah. Could it be that the Shihuh sword makers emigrated from Persia with this sword making expertise and produced in possibly the 8th C the old Omani Kattara with turned down quillons etc... Geographically it is a fit. It was all one country then. The camel train line links RAK with Nizwa.
Is it possible they continued to turn out swords and are solely responsible for the new Kattara which superceded the old Omani sword in the 17th /18th C.? Not withstanding some few hybrid or similar blades so tiny in number as to be perhaps not relevant to the real origin...RAK.
However what transpires is an eye opener; RAK makes Omani swords today. They use a variety of maker stamps some original, some copied. They use Lion, Crown, Star and Islamic verse God is Great etc and I have the pictures and have met the swordmakers. It should not be a surprise to learn that father to son sword making has gone on uninterupted there for generations and given the opportunity I will follow the line as far back as possible ~ People may be surprised by the outcome but I have a feeling it will shock some...after all I am about to attempt to blow the theory specifically regarding Omani
Kattara European trade blades, out of the water.(Omani Kattara straight blades made in RAK not imported !)
You will see a photo run of RAK blade stamps shortly
Regards,
Ibrahiim.