Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

Jim McDougall · 20th June 2018, 04:02 PM

That is an extremely well placed question, which has come up many times.I think the explanation is in degree as complex, but in the short version.....it is trade that is the conduit which brought the diffusion of blades. As these blades traveled through the vast network of Arab routes they ended up mounted in the hilt forms favored in the entrepots where they were received.

Ibrahiim has carried out profound field research on these and many of the weapons of Oman and Zanzibar, which has proven to be the 'X-factor' in the distribution of many forms of weapons through the 'Arab' sphere. In point of fact, the venerable catalog of Charles Buttin (1933) shows a number of these 'nimcha' but refers to them as 'Arab' ...not specifying Zanzibar as their source. While there have been some which had hilts with motif attributed to Zanzibar, the bulk of these swords with their peculiar characteristics seem to have a vast spectrum of blades used in them, and are not known to be from Zanzibar itself.

The reason for this is that Zanzibar itself was a bustling trade center with traders from many countries represented, and being an Omani Sultanate, the Arab trade routes of course prevailed here. It is the networks of trade which brought blades from many sources together, and were further amalgamated with those in other entrepots before finally settling in one, where they were hllted as required.

As Robert Elgood did well note, there were blades from the Caucusus which probably were coupled with the much favored 'Magyar' blades from sources which produced them for Hungary.
This blade does seem to have the character of one of those blades, which indeed did often find use in shashkas.
The trade ports in the Black Sea of course networked with Ottoman trade, which in turn entered routes which included Arab trade contact. There were also blades out of the Malabar coast in India in some degree.

I think this very interesting blade may well be from Caucasian sources but corresponds to some European blades, i.e. Solingen, which they copied as well, so difficult to say for sure. As noted, what is curious is that these Arab swords are likely to be mounted indiscriminately with broadsword blades in some cases, but those seem more common in the 'Maghrebi' variety.

20th June 2018, 04:02 PM	#37
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,738	That is an extremely well placed question, which has come up many times.I think the explanation is in degree as complex, but in the short version.....it is trade that is the conduit which brought the diffusion of blades. As these blades traveled through the vast network of Arab routes they ended up mounted in the hilt forms favored in the entrepots where they were received. Ibrahiim has carried out profound field research on these and many of the weapons of Oman and Zanzibar, which has proven to be the 'X-factor' in the distribution of many forms of weapons through the 'Arab' sphere. In point of fact, the venerable catalog of Charles Buttin (1933) shows a number of these 'nimcha' but refers to them as 'Arab' ...not specifying Zanzibar as their source. While there have been some which had hilts with motif attributed to Zanzibar, the bulk of these swords with their peculiar characteristics seem to have a vast spectrum of blades used in them, and are not known to be from Zanzibar itself. The reason for this is that Zanzibar itself was a bustling trade center with traders from many countries represented, and being an Omani Sultanate, the Arab trade routes of course prevailed here. It is the networks of trade which brought blades from many sources together, and were further amalgamated with those in other entrepots before finally settling in one, where they were hllted as required. As Robert Elgood did well note, there were blades from the Caucusus which probably were coupled with the much favored 'Magyar' blades from sources which produced them for Hungary. This blade does seem to have the character of one of those blades, which indeed did often find use in shashkas. The trade ports in the Black Sea of course networked with Ottoman trade, which in turn entered routes which included Arab trade contact. There were also blades out of the Malabar coast in India in some degree. I think this very interesting blade may well be from Caucasian sources but corresponds to some European blades, i.e. Solingen, which they copied as well, so difficult to say for sure. As noted, what is curious is that these Arab swords are likely to be mounted indiscriminately with broadsword blades in some cases, but those seem more common in the 'Maghrebi' variety.