Hi Austin,
Thanks for the additional closeups, thats does help a lot. That blade has me a bit puzzled, and I cannot place the fuller style, but it is distinctly different than the typical Omani blades which seem to usually be very similar to the blades found on kaskaras of Sudan. I have tried to see if this triple channel the full blade length shows up on these but havent yet.
The scabbard throat with langet receiver and most important, the device just below it, which is known as the aghrab (=scorpion) is distinctly of the style seen on Arabian sa'if's from Hadhramaut, in the Yemen just to the west of Oman.
In closer view of these elements I would feel inclined that this blade was likely mounted in these regions in the 19th century, safely suggesting mid century. The native application of the trade blade symbols was likely due to the fact that these symbols were believed to enhance the power imbued in the blades. The folk religion that prevailed among Bedouin tribes recognized such beliefs in addition to the aghrab device, which were originally used to defy 'the evil eye' and similar superstitions. These elements were maintained as traditional motif designs long after these designs were first used in the 18th century, and probably even earlier.
This really is a nice example, and I have always thought Arabian swords were especially interesting with the profound importance of Arabs in the trade world. Oman was key in trade in the Red Sea and the Atlantic, and the Omani Sultanate at Zanzibar was I think one of the key centers into Africa.
Thanks again for sharing this here Austin!
All the best,
Jim
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