[Jim McDougall]

Peter, it is fantastic to see this material placed here. For many years the curious Omani broadsword known as the KATTARA remained simply a little known anomaly in the collecting community.

At the time I first acquired one of these, a little over twenty years ago, these were seldom, if ever offered in sales or auctions, a what little was known on them was in the seminal reference on Arab arms, "Arms and Armor of Arabia" by Robert Elgood (1994). Beyond that, there was the reference by Richard Burton ("Book of the Sword", 1884, p.166), which was actually taken from Demmin (1877), and showed a drawing of one of these tapered cylinder hilts without guard.

There were no references to the antiquity or origins of these open hilt swords, nor to the term 'kattara' by which they were known.

When meeting Peter some years ago, and with him having been situated in Oman for many years at that time, and with his interest and knowledge in Arabian edged weapons, the topic of the 'kattara' came into focus.

He knew these as the ceremonial broadswords used in traditional 'sword dances' in the Funoon events he has described. These had become part of these ceremonial functions from the time of Said the Great (c.1806).

The key to the mysterious origins of these Omani swords seemed to have come from his important Sultanate in Zanzibar, which had become one of the prominent trade centers of the 19th c. This was apparent as Burton (1884) had noted these distinct swords as from Zanzibar.

In retracing Burton's activities in Africa in his famed explorations which involved for the search for the source of the mighty Nile River. .....I found a remarkable reference by him:
From "The Lake Regions of Central Equitorial Africa", R.F.Burton , 1859.
'Journal of the Royal Geographic Society" vo.XXIX (1859, p.381).

"...swords in East Africa are carried only by strangers. The Wasawahila and the slave factors preferred the KITTAREH, a CURVED saber made in Oman or Hadhramaut or in its stead, an old German cavalry blade. The Arabs carry as a distinction, the 'firanji'- a straight thin double edged guardless and two handed sword , about 4 feet long and as sharp as a carving knife".

The merchants and traders of Oman,via Zanzibar would trek into the African interior deep in to these regions of today's Uganda,and they were likely the 'strangers'; 'slave factors' and prestigious merchants that are described by Burton.

These figures are likely those noted by Burton again in 1884 (Sword, 1884,p.166_), "....the Arabs of Zanzibar preserve the old two handed weapon of Europe, with a thin , flattish, double edged blade ending in a beveled point".
Further, " the usual shape carried by Arab gentlemen, is three feet to three and a half feet long; the long tang tapers toward the hilt, and is cased in wood and leather; the pommel is cylindrical, and the grip wants guard and quillons. Demmin (p.396) finds it 'difficult to understand how this singular weapon could be wielded. It serves mostly for SHOW, and when wanted is used like a quarterstaff with both hands. ".

It is noted that the Bedouin around Muscat had won or bought many ancient weapons from older days, and conserved them with religious respect.

Here we note that the broadswords of Oman and Zanzibar we have known as 'kattara' were clearly well known by the 1850s in the interior of Africa, and with that to the Omani Sultanate in Zanzibar, but they were not known by that term, only as usual, as sayf.
As also shown, these were worn as symbols of prestige and power, but not intended as weapons.

In the regions of the interior, and as clearly adopted from the traditions there, in the then Kingdom of Kitara, the sword was the key element of stature and power, and called KITARA.

From "The Warrior Tradition on Modern Africa", ed. Ali Amin Mazrui (p.24)
"...in Bunyoro too, the word 'KITARA' , means a sword but has historically come to signify an empire, worn by individuals possessed of significant virtue".
from "Bunyoro Kitara in the North Interlacustrine Region",
by G. N. Uzoigwe, "East African Kingdoms".

As seen here, a compelling source for the term KATTARA for these broadswords we have now known for considerable time, without knowing the origins of the form nor the term. This information on the trade activity into the African interior, the bustling and significant center of Zanzibar reveals the true origins of both in compelling degree.
The style of the open hilt resembles not only the well known Omani khanjhar, but much earlier Seljuq Turk, Mamluk and other forms with open hilts and cylindrical type grip and pommel.

It has seemed, as discovered by Peter, that the KITARA term was used primarily for the curved examples of these open hilt swords, with the sayf term as typically used collectively, applying to the broadswords.
The curved examples may well have been seen with a certain hubris as reflecting ones experience and activity in the interior.

The broadswords, often mounted with prestigious European blades, were soundly regarded in the weapon category by that feature, but were worn more in status circumstances.

The examples later produced exclusively for use in the traditional dance ceremonies had lighter blades, but reflected the character of the traditional sayf and kitara worn by the higher echelons and merchant class.
These were obviously never intended as weapons, but for use in the dance ceremonies.

The first pic is of the humble example I acquired in the late 90s, which is clearly one of the 'dance' swords.
Next, an example of 'kitara' saber, with probably early 19th c. or earlier cavalry saber blade, this probably East European but many were indeed German as noted. These were easily acquired with profound German presence in trade activity in East Africa.,