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Originally Posted by Iain
The routes operated a little differently, hajj caravans were organized from key cities such as Kano. This is more of a late 18th and early 19th century phenomenon. Prior to this typically a hajj was organized by a ruler who would take an entourage but was far less common for the average person.
It was typical for a notable figure such as a merchant or religious scholar to lead the caravan and typically this included stops in the main cities of the lands they passed through to acquire letters for safe conduct and to solicit alms.
This is not to say that some commerce didn't occur but there was some degree of reliance on charity as mentioned.
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Thank you Iain, that sounds like a most reasonable description of the Hadj caravans, and honestly I had not considered that these would have operated independently and likely via perhaps different routes than commercial ones. Obviously their ajendas would be different.
I think that with these caravans comprehensively however, the diffusion of these regional weapons, however incidental, would constitute some notable presence over time. Obtaining safe conduct is a good point, and the barter of these weapons even as novelties seems a good likelihood.
Again, I think that weapons which in effect are 'exotic' or foreign and worn as swords of 'distinction' would present an admired convention to individuals in these transactions. This might be compared for example to English merchants and dignitaries proudly wearing Ceylonese kastane, or Moroccan 'nimcha'. With these, much as with the long hilt kattara and Manding sabres these were swords of distinction, not necessarily for fighting. Just as with European court swords and small swords, in a situation they could likely be pressed into use.