The Manding sword, the Tuareg aljuinar and Omani curved kattara: Are they connected?

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

To see the dimensions of the flambouyant sayf against the dancer and to view the dancer against the so called Omani curved Kattarah. Also illustrated for interest is a shot with the Dancer, The curved Kattarah, and the Sayf Yamaani...and above is the Mandinka curved sword ... see below...

The curved so called Omani Kattarah has a single cutting edge and point on an open Long Omani Hilt and the blade is quite stiff with a thick back edge ...and given the Omani Scabbard and Terrs … It follows the Manding as being warlike looking but actually not for fighting and like the dancer it has no guard. Enters the Omani scene around 1856 via Zanzibar.

The Dancer however, is the fore runner with the classic open Long Hilt and a flat spatulate tipped very flexible blade and round tip with razor sharp edges and uses the Terrs... used to greet the Sultan and as a pageantry sword dating from about 1820 1830 and designed for the ruler Saiid Sultan also known as Said the Great... of Zanzibar fame..

It goes to show that sword form, as many people know it, does not automatically follow in every country and just because it looks like a battle sword doesn't mean that it is.