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Originally Posted by SwedeGreen
Shokran Ibrahiim al Balooshi and thanks to all for your insight.
I've looked at many photos on the internet, have not yet begun looking for museum collections. The closest example of this hilt that I've found is on the website of Fort Antiques under "Omani Swords", item S20, photo attached. They list it as such:
"Very old Mamluke design hilt possibly 7th Century refitted on a 18th or 19th Century European (German) trade blade for the Ethiopian market . Obtained via Yemen and Muscat. This is a SAYF variant." FortAntiques
I discounted the reference to the Mamlukes until Mr. Balooshi's comment on a possible connection as an early example.
Would the blades be contemporaneous with the hilts or later trade blades?
Any insight on the time frame of the hilts and / or blades?
Respectfully Requested
Johnny
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Salaams Johnny, As pointed out by Khanjar 1 ...I am indeed fortantiques.net and in large part the website is my own take on Omani Weapons... especially Swords and Khanjars. The huge thread on Kattara for comments
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10455 is a mega discussion on the broad subject of Omani fighting swords and dancing swords. In it there are references and photos of a lot of styles including the Saudia/Yemeni variant which is the central topic on this thread. I encourage anyone studying the subject to at least scan through that thread as it is full of facts and interesting twists.
Notwithstanding how the international community calls the swords the correct name for any straight sword in Oman is Sayf (or Saif) whilst curved swords are called Kattara. Kattara (not an Arabic word) is a relatively modern term perhaps instigated around 1744 at the inception of the Al Bussaidi Dynasty. It also fits the time-frame for the cross pollination of the long Omani hilt from/of the Omani dancing sword...
The Straight long flexible two edged razor sharp (new style) Omani Sayf not to be confused with the Omani Battle Sayf or Sayf Yamaani which goes back in style to the battles after 751 AD to rid Oman of the Abassiids(from Iraq) garrisoned here in Buraimi and other Omani centres to persecute Omanis who had formed a breakaway Ibaathi Muslim Sect. I will put up photographs to illustrate each sword and briefly its history later.
On top of these types there are some other curved Kattara including the Shamshir (no one calls them shamshiirs ~ they call them kattara~ because they are curved) Then there are the heavy backbladed slave trader swords..mighty things with the Omani long hilt from the dancing sword style...they are curved and so they are called Kattara. Occasionally there is a short ships weapon really simply an adaption of the Yemeni adaption of the Zanzibari Nimcha though here one has to be careful as there are lots of types as seen at Butin. The very aristocratic gold inlaid Zanzibari style was certainly an Omani style for Political heads of state, VIPs and merchants... after all Oman ejected the Portuguese from Muscat in 1650 and pursued them down the coast and did the same to them in Zanzibar... Oman owned Zanzibar for many years.
What tends to get confusing is that the generic term used for all swords is Sayf !!
It is important to grasp the vital difference between the Omani Battle Sword and the more recent dancing sword which pays homage to the old sword and the ancestors that wielded it...which has confused several learned visitors over the last 3 centuries tricking them into believing that the razor sharp flexible dancing sayf was a weapon when in fact it never saw a battle because it is and never has been a weapon..Its a dancing sword only; however, it looks battle worthy and if someone had mind to swipe with it; it would certainly work ! It could take off an arm. However it was and is
only for dancing (plus it has a mock fight dance contest) and causes extreme mirth when you ask local people about its use as a fighting weapon...
Omani Battle Sword (sayf Yamaani) circa 751 ad> Dancing Sayf.circa 1744 ad
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.