Shamshir identification

[ariel]

Originally Posted by mariusgmioc

In my opinion too, this is not a shamshir but a saif. But since names are rather relative, you can take this as you want.

In my opinion a shamshir has a long, narrow and very deeply curved blade of mostly triangular cross-section.

In societies with significant Persian influence it would be called " shamshir"
In those with Arabic influence it would be called " saif"

Just like Yemeni and Omani daggers: even though they are almost indistinguishable, in Yemen they are " Janbias", in Oman they are " Khanjars". Thus, since this saber is obviously Omani ( braided silver wire) , it must have been called " shamshir" locally. Having been captured by a Yemeni fighter, it became a " saif", and when it was sold to a Turkish Agha, it became a " kilij":-)))


In Persia, any sword, - straight , curved, local blade, foreign blade, - is still a " shamshir". In Afghanistan there are no pulwars or pseudo-shashkas: all of them are " shamshirs".

In Russian there is no special word for "fighting" short-bladed weapons i.e. what in English is called a " dagger". So, they took a Georgian word for their national dagger, "khanjali", modified it to "kindjal" and since then every short-bladed weapon in Russian is just " kindjal". Kindjal- jambiya, kindjal- tanto, kindjal- kris, and even kindjal- kindjal:-) That is how they are often defined in catalogues and even academic books.

This is a Name Game of the lowest sort....