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Old 24th March 2012, 04:31 PM   #312
Ibrahiim al Balooshi
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Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE
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Salaams All ~ Here is a dilemma; The case for the Round Tip to Both Swords on;

1.The Old Omani Battle Sword; Sayf Yamaani. see photo below.
2.The Flexible Omani SAYF; The Dancing Sword. see photo below.

First I intend to show the similarity between the two swords above since the second superceded the first in the dance pageant(only) and it can be assumed that some similarities in design would be apparent.

Indeed both swords have 2 razor sharp edges and they both are called Sayf as the honorific flexible sword was given that in respect and honour of the users of the old weapon. ie the forefathers of the nation. Both use the famous Terrs shield and again in remembrance or the former system.

They both were the funun pageant weapons until one succeeded the other(circa 1840) and the only difference was that the old Sayf Yamaani at 1, was a Battle Sword...but is this the only similarity?

It can be argued that some parts of the hilt in the new sword are reminicent of the old... in the Islamic shape of part of the grip. It also could be said that the scabbards are identical in design except the new swords housing is simply longer; but is this all..?

What about the tip? We generally recognise the old sword as having a sharp tip... whilst the new sword tip is very round.

I will now make the case for a round tip on the old Omani Battle Sword and call into support 5 factors;

A. Fighting Style.
B. The Terrs Shield.
C. The Tip design on the New Sword.
D. Age, deterioration and wear.
E. The Funun Mimic Fight.

A.Fighting Style. I compare The Old Omani Battle Sword with the Roman Gladius which was essentially a spear pointed, short sword that had one "major strike"... The Thrust ..combined with the phalanx or defensive formation set behind a huge wall, line or block of defensive but manouverable "large shields".
This manouvre is not possible with tiny bucklers.( Terrs Shields see photo below) The major strike (The Thrust), therefor, is irrelevant in ancient Omani fighting style.

B.The Terrs Shield.The Old Omani Battle Sword used a small buckler shield(Terrs) and had no facility for phalanx protection thus it was used differently... mobile, fast moving swordsmen approaching an adversary rather like a boxer would today... darting in and out; slash and chop behind a fast worked buckler shield... no need for a sharp tip... Just slash and chop. No point in a point... so to speak !

C.The Tip design on the New Sword. I put it to Forum that the weapon had a round tip and many years later this was mirrored in the design of the new dancing pageant only sword. The fact that in the new sword design the dancing and mimic detail whereby the swordsmen can score a winning point by touching the opponents shield hand thumb is incidental and possibly invented after the fact but that the major element in the design is a direct and deliberate copy of the round tip.

D.Age, Deterioration and Wear. Old Battle Swords have some wear in the blades... noticeably because of sharpening(original width of blade can often be found just under the throat at the hilt where sharpening did not occur) and secondly shortening by wear and tear at the tip. It can be assumed that swords are up to one eigth of an inch narrower than before(sharpening) and up to 2 or 3 inches shorter at the tip.
The primary reason why these old blades appear sharp not round... is because of this shortening effect caused by age deterioration and wear. Indeed the tip section of say the final 12 inches of blade is quite a lot less thick than the rest of the blade making wear more likely over time.

E.The Funun Mimic Fight. The Funun mimic fight mirrors the technique outlined at B above in that swordsmen engage like dueling boxers in a mobile, fluid, fast moving, whirling encounter darting in and out and not employing thrust strokes at all. The technique is one of cut and slash working with a very fast Buckler Shield action.


Therefor I conclude that the Old Omani Battle Sword had a round tip, now degraded, and that this is reflected in the new dancing sword design.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Note; At #5 I compared the Old Omani Battle Sword with an Abbasid Sword and need to ammend that accordingly though it is not clear whether in fact the Abbasid could also have had similar attributes in the tip..see http://users.stlcc.edu/mfuller/turk/TopkapiArms2.html
The ammendment should include that the Old Omani Battle Swords main function was Slash and Chop behind a fast worked Terrs Buckler Shield.

Photos; For interest I show a third picture with 3 swords and the Terrs Shield viz;
The Old Omai Battle Sword with Quillons... Sayf Yamaani.
The Flexible Sayf Dancing Sword.. Straight Omani Sayf.
Kattara curved sword on a long Omani hilt.. Curved Kattara.
Attached Images
   

Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 25th March 2012 at 04:29 PM.
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