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Originally Posted by katana
Salaams Ibrahim,
I have looked at the blade of this saif to determine functional or not. The blade is comparable to the Takouba both in length and the spatulate tip. I had a late 19thC / early 20th C Takouba which is/was deemed 'functional' and were used as weapons at that time. The blade on the saif is less flexible, slightly thicker and better quality.
If this blade had been hilted Tabouka style, the functionality of the resulting sword would not be in question. I agree that a lack of guard would be a worry, but there are a number of swords that have little or no guard.
The fact this Saif may have been made in a factory is not a 'bad thing'. Swords have been made in 'factories' for hundreds of years in Sheffield, Birmingham and Solingen. But, if made in a factory I would have thought that their specification would be the same. There is no doubt in my mind that this sword could be used as a weapon. It 'handles' well, seems well balanced, especially when used in slashing cuts (the spatula tip reinforces this function).
This blade doesn't fit the criteria of a dance blade, but you could argue that the guardless hilt does. Perhaps this blade was an older one, over cleaned and re-worked ? Perhaps this blade was made to be functional ? Were the Saifs ever carried as personal protection ?
As a footnote, is there any evidence of blades made in Oman being sold in Africa ? The thinking is ....could some Omani blades be used, rehilted as Tabouka ?
Kind Regards David
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Salaams katana ~ No drift into Africa sword style happenend with this blade. Even in Zanzibar the blade was only used by people of Muscat origin not by native Zanzibaris. In fact as a side issue one of the things I loooked at fairly early on was seeing if this type of blade(flexible round tipped) had spilled over into any other countries ~ I considered the present day UAE to be part of the Oman in the timezone we are looking at(17th to 20th C) so I was looking more at Yemen and Saudia and the red sea hub. I was also looking for evidence of spillage as it was thought that these could have been European trade blades. There was no evidence..this seems to be a home grown blade... Omani.
This is specifically for the Funoon, the pageant and dance routine of Oman. It took over from the old battle weapon Sayf Yamaani as the new fashion of heraldic dance in honour of its predecessor and those who fought...its all on the other thread at "
Kattara for comment."
A lot of people have been duped by this sword as it appears to be a warlike sword and they sharpen it to razor edge but only to honour their forefathers. It is however only a dance accoutrement not a weapon ..In the case of such a sword being made with a less than flexible blade ... it would never sell to an Omani but could go on the market to visitors... I sold 10 last week as gift items they are brilliant.
Please have a look at the latest anecdotal evidence or in fact hang on whilst I download it to here ...Dancing Swords. Omani Sayf.
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Salaams Reference note for Forum library.
From
http://www.thenational.ae/news/.../...ng-trade-in-rak
Anecdotal Evidence; The Omani Sayf; Dancing Swords Only.
Quote "RAS AL KHAIMAH // In the markets of the old town, swords are easily available and readily sold to mountain tribesmen.
"All Shehhi [tribesmen] should have swords," said Azziz al Shehhi, 22. "It's nice for dancing, not for fighting. These are for gifts, for celebrations."
Mr al Shehhi owns four swords, four traditional knives and two rifles that belonged to his father. But the party favourite was always the sword, an essential for any mountain celebration, he said.
Strong swordsmanship is the mark of a good wedding for mountain tribes like the Shehhu and Habus. Swords are not raised in combat, but thrown metres in the air and then caught.
The swords are forged in the workshops of the old RAK market, many of which have operated for more than three decades.
Shopkeepers must be licensed to sell swords, but are not required to keep records of how many they sell or to whom.
They make them according to demand. Some months they may sell only one or two, and other months they will sell dozens, especially in the summer wedding season.
Swords can be bought in glass cases as gifts and are a traditional reward at sporting events such as camel races. More often they are sold as an accessory for weddings, along with the canes and the yerz, a tribal axe.
Swords are sold blunt so men can catch them while dancing, but can be easily sharpened. Honing usually comes at the behest of elders, who want swords sharpened to a fine edge to honour their forefathers.
Zahee Ahmed, 28, of Pakistan, sells to tribesmen, sheikhs and tourists, as well as to shops in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. He said he had yet to hear of any case of swords being used as a weapon. "It's not dangerous," said Mr Ahmed. "We make them for celebration, not for killing. This is not for fighting, it is only for culture. The man is crazy if he will fight."
There is no age requirement on who can buy a sword, but some stores will only sell to Emiratis.
For many years, bargain hunters would often skip the markets of old RAK and buy from the family of Charchambi Daad Mohammed, a Baluchi axe and sword maker who crafted the weapons in his house.
Until last year, he roamed the streets of the Nakheel market with a bundle of swords and axes under his arm to be sold to whoever had the cash.
The swords business got a boost last December after Fujairah's first annual Al Saif Traditional Sword Competition, in which TV viewers and audience members voted by SMS for their favourite sword dancer.
RAK swordsmiths reported a sharp rise in demand for a month afterwards". Unquote.
Having said all that there are some monumental people in history that thought this was a battlesword and I can only think the Omanis then had as good a laugh as they are getting now ...but its all in good fun... When asked "Is this the sword Excalliber? The Omani souk owner will reply ... oooh yes ! Is this sword made of moonrock ?... OoHH YES ! aM i A TEAPOT... OOOH YES!!
Well you know what I mean. Its what they think you want to hear. It makes for interesting research.
Regards Ibrahiim al Balooshi