My first Nimcha

[TVV]

Jim the Ethiopian blade you show is now in Stu's collection, was in mine before, and I am very certain that it received its current hilt in Yemen. There are Yemeni nimcha types and they are generally cruder than the Zanzibar versions, with the pommel at a 90 degree angle as opposed to the smaller angle on Zanzibar grips.

Back to the sword that started the thread. While this one is without any doubt Algerian, based on the scabbard, I wonder if we should attribute all earlier nimchas with brass guards to Algeria. Either they were not popular in Morocco until later, when the form was adopted with local Moroccan guard versions, or they were popular in a wider area, and not just in Algeria, and we are wrong in trying to classify these on geographic basis instead of chronological one.

[Jacenty]

I found another Nimcha on this forum with a similar seal to the one on my sabre. Perhaps it is just a coincidence?

[Jim McDougall]

Originally Posted by Jacenty

I found another Nimcha on this forum with a similar seal to the one on my sabre. Perhaps it is just a coincidence?
Attachment 238636

More compelling evidence that this is Algerian! It does seem that trade centers in Algeria had workers who indeed used cold stamps which replicated well known marks to suggest blade quality and impress buyers. Again this is seen in Briggs(1965) in his illustration of a nimcha with three groove fullers like this.
He was situated in Algeria when he wrote his work on the blades used in Tuareg swords and daggers, so his focus on blades became one of the key references on the topic.

[werecow]

Originally Posted by Jacenty

I found another Nimcha on this forum with a similar seal to the one on my sabre. Perhaps it is just a coincidence?
Attachment 238636

Interesting! Where did you spot this one? Would be good to cross link these threads.

[Jacenty]

This blade designation is in this entry:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=nimcha

[fennec]

HI Jacenty !
What a beautifull PIRATE NIMCHA ... It's pretty rare to find those "boarding" swords, with a large yalman, with an Iflissen scabbard (made around the area of Kabylie in Algeria).
many "algerian" things here can confirm the origin.

- First of all the shape of the sword, realy much appreciated by algerian "corsairs", "pirates", "barbary", or how ever the ancient times called them (I prefer the term "algerian fleet..."). No need to make a history resume to know why those shapes was much more foundable in algeria, than Tunisia or Morocco (except Salé).

- Then the gard. Brass is also very used for that part in algeria, giving generally smaller quillons than moroccan or just steel gards. And of course the shape of it. If we commonly call that a "zanzibar" nimcha guard, those are also very common in algeria.

- The shape of the handle (could detail, but soon as a book ), is typically algerian. Probably has lost its end of the pommel, also that metal (brass?) part running around. All of this is typical from algerian craftsmanship, you can find some similarities with those very beautifull algerian "navy nimcha" like the one on the MET museum, or the ones of admiral De Ruiter, of Tromp (cornelis).

- The handle initially looks wood for me, what is not a bad thing (sometimes covered by luxury parts), in this case it would be some walnut, blackened with natural dies (very hard wood). But you says its horn, wich is much more common on those pieces. Howerver, if you notice any "level" differences on each side (like a "bevel") it could mean that something is missing (many silver and coral parts had been taken off from those pieces during colonisation era to craft jewels for tourists).

- And finally, the scabbard, of course. The only "missing" algerian thing, would be a hole on the pommel...haha

- the mark is a kind of usual "maker marks" put in algeria with oviously an ottoman inspiration. We usually find a circle (or more rarely, shapes like on ottoman swords, like a circle, with some additionnal shape over it), with some arabic writtings in it.

PICTURES :
Here is model close to yours, but less "boarding" shape. Note the "missing" part on the handle. Usually algerian fill it with a textured (repooussé work) silver plate, or something natural like ivory or tortoil shell. For this one the gard is in steel, but still having that "ring" shape.



May I ask you if I could use your picture/sword as an exemple for my book (and mentionning the owner, of course) ?

And if anyone knows the owner of the second ones, yatagan and nimcha with Iflissen scabbard, it would be so amazing !!

PS. Thanks a lot to all who helped me in that project, I'm really becoming to it like a common work, so thanks again for that !!

[fennec]

(Sorry here is the picture)

[TVV]

Originally Posted by fennec

(Sorry here is the picture)

Thank you for posting this sword Khaled. I have always wondered about the origin of this particular type of steel guard with a ring. Your example makes a strong case for an Algerian attribution.

I am attaching the pictures of a sword I have with this type of guard (the blade and hilt are of no help here), followed by an example from the Quai Branly and another from Oriental Arms sold archive.

Regards,
Teodor

[werecow]

Originally Posted by fennec

HI Jacenty !
What a beautifull PIRATE NIMCHA ... It's pretty rare to find those "boarding" swords, with a large yalman, with an Iflissen scabbard (made around the area of Kabylie in Algeria).
many "algerian" things here can confirm the origin.

- First of all the shape of the sword, realy much appreciated by algerian "corsairs", "pirates", "barbary", or how ever the ancient times called them (I prefer the term "algerian fleet..."). No need to make a history resume to know why those shapes was much more foundable in algeria, than Tunisia or Morocco (except Salé).

- Then the gard. Brass is also very used for that part in algeria, giving generally smaller quillons than moroccan or just steel gards. And of course the shape of it. If we commonly call that a "zanzibar" nimcha guard, those are also very common in algeria.

- The shape of the handle (could detail, but soon as a book ), is typically algerian. Probably has lost its end of the pommel, also that metal (brass?) part running around. All of this is typical from algerian craftsmanship, you can find some similarities with those very beautifull algerian "navy nimcha" like the one on the MET museum, or the ones of admiral De Ruiter, of Tromp (cornelis).

- The handle initially looks wood for me, what is not a bad thing (sometimes covered by luxury parts), in this case it would be some walnut, blackened with natural dies (very hard wood). But you says its horn, wich is much more common on those pieces. Howerver, if you notice any "level" differences on each side (like a "bevel") it could mean that something is missing (many silver and coral parts had been taken off from those pieces during colonisation era to craft jewels for tourists).

- And finally, the scabbard, of course. The only "missing" algerian thing, would be a hole on the pommel...haha

- the mark is a kind of usual "maker marks" put in algeria with oviously an ottoman inspiration. We usually find a circle (or more rarely, shapes like on ottoman swords, like a circle, with some additionnal shape over it), with some arabic writtings in it.

PICTURES :
Here is model close to yours, but less "boarding" shape. Note the "missing" part on the handle. Usually algerian fill it with a textured (repooussé work) silver plate, or something natural like ivory or tortoil shell. For this one the gard is in steel, but still having that "ring" shape.



May I ask you if I could use your picture/sword as an exemple for my book (and mentionning the owner, of course) ?

And if anyone knows the owner of the second ones, yatagan and nimcha with Iflissen scabbard, it would be so amazing !!

PS. Thanks a lot to all who helped me in that project, I'm really becoming to it like a common work, so thanks again for that !!

Probably worth pointing out that this rare saber unfortunately got destroyed and it's blade repurposed by its owner.

[fennec]

Originally Posted by werecow

Probably worth pointing out that this rare saber unfortunately got destroyed and it's blade repurposed by its owner.

"Destroyed".... I mean.... Okay... :confus::confus::confus:
I've heard that story recently, and my algerian hearth bleed... haha but no judgement, everyone is free to use his stuff how he want !
Thanks for the info !

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you for that note Teodor, I recall seeing that most interesting nimcha here on the pages years ago. It was fascinating to me mostly from that remarkable blade which I found associated with the Armenian importer Kevorkian in Harar, Ethiopia.
The simplicity and style of the hilt with the 'D guard' which has become known colloquially in collectors parlance as 'Zanzibar' I totally agree is likely Yemeni, as likely my own example previously posted in this thread.

Here I would note that a great many swords, and blades went from Ethiopia into Yemen primarily to obtain the rhino horn from the hilts. This of course offered a supply of blades, many of which were mounted in San'aa in various hilt forms, and resulting in the presence often of Ge'ez script from Amharic inscriptions on many Arab swords.


The first reference to these ring guard hilts as Zanzibari was in "Les Armes Blanches du Monde Islamique" , Alain Jacob, 1985. When I acquired my example years ago from Oriental Arms, Artzi explained to me that it was one of about 40 he got from an old armory in Yemen, and that these swords had come from Zanzibar. I have forgotten how long ago he noted this acquisition happened but I presume it may have been in the 80s.

It was interesting in researching these, one of the key references commonly used was Charles Buttin's 1933 catalogue, where these types were included with a large grouping of examples of the North African types, and all are listed only as Arab sa'if. There is no specific classification to Zanzibar, Morocco, Algeria or other....and as asserted by Dominique Buttin (pers. cov. 2004)...these are all simply Arab sa'if.

I agree that the Algerian attributions are likely correct, and the association with the Kabyle type wood scabbard is compelling evidence. Here I would note that George C. Stone in his venerable compendium (1934) referred to the 'nimcha' as Algerian. It has been suggested that the diffusion of the form into Morocco was probably via the Sunni following of the Maliki School of Islam.

The preferences of local artisans for materials used in mounting of the various numbers of blades circulating through mostly trade networks seems of course inconsistent and probably relied on many factors. It does not seem there is any viable axiom to classify these 'nimcha' forms to region or period other than sound provenance or notable propensity of type to area.
That factored in with the long circulation of blades which often ended up in trade circumstances many times over, as well as the fact that these swords were often important as gifts or awards further accounts for diffusion.
"
As always, I like to keep things brief , " the history of the nimchas" soon to be a thrilling movie! uh huh.