Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 29th March 2011, 01:53 PM

My last missive seems to have vanished so...I agree it is completely logical to surmise that they use the hole for a wriststrap. However they dont. The Omani swordsmen throw the sword high in the air and I think a wrist strap on this weapon would be a hindrance. On single edged curved Omani Sayfs with a big back edge they also have no hole ... I suggest it could be a religious thing as its iron so a hole could be related to evil ...it may be simply to hang them on wall nails. Thats how we all hang them. (but I suspect its the Iron thing)
About 50% of kattara dont have a Pommel holes .
I watched 1000 tribal infantry march past on national day all with kattara and not one wrist strap... I like the idea of 5 beads hanging from the hole as that would be religious link to the five fingers of Fatima daughter of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh)... Geometrical figure 5s occur in many traditional items including Omani Jewelery, Oriental Rugs, Khanjar silver designs(some not all) architecture, woodcarving etc etc. 5 represents the constitutional building blocks ...5 cornerstone foundations of the Islamic religion.

29th March 2011, 01:53 PM	#9
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Pommel Hole My last missive seems to have vanished so...I agree it is completely logical to surmise that they use the hole for a wriststrap. However they dont. The Omani swordsmen throw the sword high in the air and I think a wrist strap on this weapon would be a hindrance. On single edged curved Omani Sayfs with a big back edge they also have no hole ... I suggest it could be a religious thing as its iron so a hole could be related to evil ...it may be simply to hang them on wall nails. Thats how we all hang them. (but I suspect its the Iron thing) About 50% of kattara dont have a Pommel holes . I watched 1000 tribal infantry march past on national day all with kattara and not one wrist strap... I like the idea of 5 beads hanging from the hole as that would be religious link to the five fingers of Fatima daughter of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh)... Geometrical figure 5s occur in many traditional items including Omani Jewelery, Oriental Rugs, Khanjar silver designs(some not all) architecture, woodcarving etc etc. 5 represents the constitutional building blocks ...5 cornerstone foundations of the Islamic religion.