The Original Dhu'l-Faqar

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by AhmedH

Salaams Ibrahiim,

This is very important, but have you ever heard of Yemeni swords found in the burial places of medieval pre-Islamic Yemeni people; especially their notables?

BTW, what are the oldest Yemeni swords in Oman? Referring to which century? Dr. David Nicolle mentioned in one of his books an Arab straight double-edged sword from Oman referring to the 6th-7th century CE. I believe the book's name was "Yarmouk 636 AD".

Please explain more...

Best regards,
Ahmed Helal Hussein

Salaams Ahmed .. Sadly no I have not heard of any Yemeni pre Islamic Burials but early Omani Tombs are well recorded. There was a big migration from the Mahrib region in Yemen which lasted for several hundred years parallel to the downfall, disrepair and decline of the Mahrib Dam in roughly the 3rd to 6th C.

One report I read of a sword coming from an Islamic burial site on Jebel Akhdar (a purely one off discovery) made a couple of hundred years ago..

Readers will note that it was not the done thing here to bury arms and armour with the dead. The old Omani Battle Sword you may find interesting since its local name is Sayf Yamaani.

Interestingly there is a place near Nizwa called Yemen in part of Izki town ...an old quarter... and it was my thought that weapons could have either come on the trade route from Hadramaut or were made in the region near Nizwa since that was the seat of Ibaathi Islam from 751 AD til today. Nizwa has always been a metalworking area....Copper and iron since they knew the hand bellows system of raising the temperature of the furnace.


My thread refers at http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=omani+swords

You will see Yarmouk may refer to the University at which he was a faculty member? Yarmouk Jordan at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Nicolle

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.