Movements of the Nimcha design across The Indian Oceanand beyond.
Jim this is an excellent topic. The wide blade in the Moplah style is fascinating.
I think this is an important design transfer dating before the rule of Saaid The Great. I think that the hilts are also similar to the Nimchas from both Zanzibar and Morrocco. In my view I suspect that the Omani Navy used the Zanzibari Nimcha format for weapons probably Naval Officers dress Swords long before the appearance of Saaid the Great in about 1806....It may be remembered that he influenced weapon designs on Omani Khanjars of the Al Saaidi style and reformatted the hilts of Sayf Yemaani ....Other designs such as the Cummerbund and Turban are also down to him and of course the Omaani Sayf ...a straight bladed conical Hilt with very flexible blade and perhaps 30 years later the sister to it The Omani Kittara with the curved blade and identical Hilt from Bunyoro-Kittara in The Great Lakes ....In pointing to the Moplah style of blade you indicate a valuable and entirely plausible case for the Moplah to have influenced Nimcha blade design right through the region ... Thanks Jim ... Excellent indeed!...
Peter Hudson
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