Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 25th November 2011, 03:20 PM

"The straight is a Sayf and the Curved is a Kattara".

Salaams All ~ Brilliant News !!!

I have just been visited by the national documents researcher of Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage; Madam Ghaya Khalfan al Dhaheri who is from the oldest and most highly respected family in Al Ain and a specialist in all things "artefact" in the UAE. The UAE are our direct neighbors and we almost ... almost ...share the same city. Our part is in Oman and called Buraimi... Their part in the UAE called Al Ain. Each is a few minutes drive..In the old days it was all one.

She has confirmed the details of The Funoon and Razha and indicated that the mimic fighting dance is called Ayaaleh and coresponds to the same routine with Sayf and Terrs as in Oman.

She confirms the name for the Old Omani straight sword ~ The Sayf with turned down Quillons ~ as also being the correct name ie Sayf.... or Saif. Further more that the local name was Saif Yamaani. The straight flexible sword that superceded it is called Sayf also in the UAE. The Kattara is the curved sword though she added that they also called a curved variant Sayf Damasc... which I take to be a Shamshir.

On the question of manufacture of swords by some amazing fluke it turns out that about 100 years ago her great grandfather Rakan Ibn Suroor al Dhahiri made swords in Al Ain 20 minutes away! They used the bellows method to raise the heat in the small furnace combined with a special wood called Al Yaraabi from the Samar tree. Often the furnace would be run for more than two days solid, day and night, until a weapon was produced. They had a team of bellows men working in turns to push air into the forge. Rakan Ibn Suroor actually made a famous sword called dark cloud (Ghamaam) for the father of the late ruler known as Sheikh Zayed The Great. I may relate that amazing tale later..

What is astonishing is that we have now identified a manufacturing base right here... within a few kilometres of Buraimi and of course the name and a great contact and a historian of some notoriety.

Regarding the situation about Gypsies (Zutood) ... I was pleasantly surprised to learn that a band of Gypsies used to come to this region Al Ain/ Buraimi many years ago from Oman having arrived on the Omani coast by Dhow from India. They were she said very Indian in appearance and did weird dancing , didnt pray, spoke an unintelligible language, stole everything they could lay their hands on and after a few weeks suddenly they would vanish to the Gulf Coast and presumeably onto a Dhow for India until the next time...

It is not beyond belief that the same or similar Gypsies perhaps having learned their trade from Hyderabad? pedalled swords and made them on commission for Omanis as per my previous post. This is perhaps the loose cannon in the equation and though probably untraceable it does explain some of the mystique ... A wandering forge sword manufacturing team !

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

25th November 2011, 03:20 PM	#157
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	"The straight is a Sayf and the Curved is a Kattara". Salaams All ~ Brilliant News !!! I have just been visited by the national documents researcher of Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage; Madam Ghaya Khalfan al Dhaheri who is from the oldest and most highly respected family in Al Ain and a specialist in all things "artefact" in the UAE. The UAE are our direct neighbors and we almost ... almost ...share the same city. Our part is in Oman and called Buraimi... Their part in the UAE called Al Ain. Each is a few minutes drive..In the old days it was all one. She has confirmed the details of The Funoon and Razha and indicated that the mimic fighting dance is called Ayaaleh and coresponds to the same routine with Sayf and Terrs as in Oman. She confirms the name for the Old Omani straight sword ~ The Sayf with turned down Quillons ~ as also being the correct name ie Sayf.... or Saif. Further more that the local name was Saif Yamaani. The straight flexible sword that superceded it is called Sayf also in the UAE. The Kattara is the curved sword though she added that they also called a curved variant Sayf Damasc... which I take to be a Shamshir. On the question of manufacture of swords by some amazing fluke it turns out that about 100 years ago her great grandfather Rakan Ibn Suroor al Dhahiri made swords in Al Ain 20 minutes away! They used the bellows method to raise the heat in the small furnace combined with a special wood called Al Yaraabi from the Samar tree. Often the furnace would be run for more than two days solid, day and night, until a weapon was produced. They had a team of bellows men working in turns to push air into the forge. Rakan Ibn Suroor actually made a famous sword called dark cloud (Ghamaam) for the father of the late ruler known as Sheikh Zayed The Great. I may relate that amazing tale later.. What is astonishing is that we have now identified a manufacturing base right here... within a few kilometres of Buraimi and of course the name and a great contact and a historian of some notoriety. Regarding the situation about Gypsies (Zutood) ... I was pleasantly surprised to learn that a band of Gypsies used to come to this region Al Ain/ Buraimi many years ago from Oman having arrived on the Omani coast by Dhow from India. They were she said very Indian in appearance and did weird dancing , didnt pray, spoke an unintelligible language, stole everything they could lay their hands on and after a few weeks suddenly they would vanish to the Gulf Coast and presumeably onto a Dhow for India until the next time... It is not beyond belief that the same or similar Gypsies perhaps having learned their trade from Hyderabad? pedalled swords and made them on commission for Omanis as per my previous post. This is perhaps the loose cannon in the equation and though probably untraceable it does explain some of the mystique ... A wandering forge sword manufacturing team ! Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi. Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 25th November 2011 at 03:35 PM.