Kattaras aplenty

Jim McDougall · 20th July 2009, 04:06 AM

Michael Thank you for these beautiful pictures!!!

These Omani kattaras are indeed a fascinating sword, and as we have discussed many times over the years, these are but one of a number of guardless hilt swords typical of weapons used in draw cut or slashing.
It will be noticed that these typically have the rounded tip favored for slashing cuts, and interestingly we can see this type of blade point on the takoubas of the Sahara.

The kattara is discussed of course in Elgood, "Arms and Armour of Arabia" and the earlier versions of these are believed to have been ornately covered in silver sheathing, with downturned quillons and reminiscent of the jineta and medieval Islamic swords. The Omanis were key traders, and thier Sultanate in Zanzibar was one the important trade centers, and the reason these are often noted from that location.

These are not associated with the dha, and the association with the shashka and it are only visual as far as I'm aware. It is important to recall, as Fearn has aptly noted, that the Omani's being prominant traders and certainly often using much the same trade blades from Germany and the Caucusus that entered African regions. The curved blades may well have on occasion been the same as found on some shashkas, purely incidentally, and use of them on the kattara surely personal preference. The shashka type hilt seems to be one of the Hadhramauti type hilts or from Yemen. The contact with India, Sri Lanka and in some degree SE Asia and China certainly would lend to some weapons influences crossculturally, but each would require a great deal more in the way of evidence and examples.

Great observation on the term 'katar' Fearn! and in another interesting instance, kattara seems very close to the term kaskara, and the same blades or style of blades are of course on the kattara (aside from the rounded tip).

One instance of such influence is seen with the Manding sabres of Mali, which have the same guardless cylidrical hilt as the Omani kattara, and the trade routes via the caravans which extended trans Sahara through Timbuktu and into Morocco show evidence of such diffusion.

All best regards,
Jim

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20th July 2009, 04:06 AM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	Michael Thank you for these beautiful pictures!!! These Omani kattaras are indeed a fascinating sword, and as we have discussed many times over the years, these are but one of a number of guardless hilt swords typical of weapons used in draw cut or slashing. It will be noticed that these typically have the rounded tip favored for slashing cuts, and interestingly we can see this type of blade point on the takoubas of the Sahara. The kattara is discussed of course in Elgood, "Arms and Armour of Arabia" and the earlier versions of these are believed to have been ornately covered in silver sheathing, with downturned quillons and reminiscent of the jineta and medieval Islamic swords. The Omanis were key traders, and thier Sultanate in Zanzibar was one the important trade centers, and the reason these are often noted from that location. These are not associated with the dha, and the association with the shashka and it are only visual as far as I'm aware. It is important to recall, as Fearn has aptly noted, that the Omani's being prominant traders and certainly often using much the same trade blades from Germany and the Caucusus that entered African regions. The curved blades may well have on occasion been the same as found on some shashkas, purely incidentally, and use of them on the kattara surely personal preference. The shashka type hilt seems to be one of the Hadhramauti type hilts or from Yemen. The contact with India, Sri Lanka and in some degree SE Asia and China certainly would lend to some weapons influences crossculturally, but each would require a great deal more in the way of evidence and examples. Great observation on the term 'katar' Fearn! and in another interesting instance, kattara seems very close to the term kaskara, and the same blades or style of blades are of course on the kattara (aside from the rounded tip). One instance of such influence is seen with the Manding sabres of Mali, which have the same guardless cylidrical hilt as the Omani kattara, and the trade routes via the caravans which extended trans Sahara through Timbuktu and into Morocco show evidence of such diffusion. All best regards, Jim