Kattara for comments

Michael Blalock · 15th November 2011, 04:59 PM

The marks on the last picture of the blade do look like remants of lettering to me but I can't make anything out. Maybe the guys at the FBI who can read filed off serial numbers could read it. I could try various spectrum of light.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 16th November 2011, 01:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Michael Blalock

The marks on the last picture of the blade do look like remants of lettering to me but I can't make anything out. Maybe the guys at the FBI who can read filed off serial numbers could read it. I could try various spectrum of light.

Salaams... What you mean the Forum Blade Investigators?

Regards Ibrahiim

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 20th November 2011, 04:13 PM

Salaams All,

The investigation continues and we are at a crossroads in the research rather than a stall point. Various additional information has come to light including the alternative use of a sandal as a shield in the absence of the Terrs and some indicators of stamp maker marks on old Kattara from the interior plus a very recent pair of perhaps old 18th C curved Sayf blades possibly from Salalah with identical "god is great stamps" different to any seen so far.

I offer the following framework so far uncovered to date;

We have concluded that extensive evidence indicates an early Abbasid influenced straight sword, rigid, with turned down quillons, 8 sided hilt and Islamic pommel with occasionally blade dots; Sword variously Shown on this thread. Date of design and inception 751 AD , parallel with the appearance in Oman of The First Immam, Ibn Julanda. The early Kattara used as the "Heraldic" Ibathi Sword used against the Abbasids garrisoned in Oman whose Caliphs in Iraq vehemently disagreed with the formation of the splinter group Ibathi sect.

Thus; The Omani Sword known as Kattara used in unison with the Terrs Shield and displayed in the Funoon as both an ancient ritual parade sword dance and mimic martial dance notably in The Razha; The Sword Dance... in the mid 8thC. A.D.

The sword went on for a thousand years or more (Gaining Iconic status in the last 200 years) though perhaps in the 17th C a replacement thinner lighter more flexible blade appeared possibly from European sources. It is likely that with the advent of gunpowder sparked the demise of bladed weapons though the loss of expertise in making original wing shaped cross sectioned blades may also have led to the cheaper replacements. In fact the story could be a reversal of that since all males over about 16 years of age are eligible to yield a Kattara and that more men now have a sword for ritual dancing than ever before.

Some time later perhaps in the 18th ? 19th C a complete sword appeared i.e. blade hilt and pommel as one piece. This blade was very Flexible capable of a 90 degree bend from the spatulate tip. It was to revolutionise the Funoon. It has been suggested it is a European Trade Blade though no solid proof exists. The blades carry a variety of blademarks many of which are fake or copies. No ships manifests have yet been discovered of numbers of blades in the hold for delivery to Oman. It is suggested by association that since Africa was awash with German blades then Oman must also have been. Yet no evidence exists, no other place in the Red Sea, Africa, Yemen India or Iran sport these blades. They are entirely specific to Oman and no blade stamps are conclusive as to origin. Tantalising blades similar but not flexible and much thicker seem to come from Saudia and or Yemen as #1 on this thread which may or may not be related and carry distinctive blade marks suggested as being either a european copy (Peter Cull cross) or Islamic forms of Akhbar(great) short calligraphy form of the god is great stamp.

This was a dancing sword and could be buzzed in the air. Whats more it was peculiar to Oman only and the reason why it turned up in Zanzibar was because Oman owned it.. The sword encompassed the Terrs and inherited the name Kattara.

The point of the research is to try to define where did the new blades originate and when?

By normal trade inside Oman, through and between souqs, recent blades (aprox within the last 100 years) appear. Two known sources are Ras Al Khaimah and Salalah. It is likely that other centres have knocked out suitably made blades including Nizwa and Muscat. How much has leaked into Oman from Yemen, Persia, India, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar, Africa, Europe or other centres is unknown but is probably substantial. It could be that in searching for a mass influx at some point in time in the last 200 years of a vast quantity of blades is in fact chasing shadows but we are not alone in history and perhaps the art of "tilting at windmills" is still alive.

The search continues.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

I will show the pair of Salalah Sayf in my next letter ..In detail... It may come as a shock to some...

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 20th November 2011, 06:14 PM

Salaams All,

Here are some pictures of a pair of identical blade marks made on apparently two different blade types at the same time and at the same position on each blade and on each side. I noted in my previous letter of swords leaching into the Omani system over the years however I would ask the forum a question;

~ Looking at the wear on these blades what would you attribute their age and where would you reckon they are from ~ ?

These of course are curved Omani Sayfs aren't they?... which attained Iconic status like a number of other Omani variants according to photos of various Sultans up to late 19thC and early 20th C. Known Iconic swords worn thus are Shamshir, Sayf, Zanzibari Nimcha, and Kattara both new and old(though, interestingly, not the somewhat fabled 17th C replacement variant blade for the old Kattara.)

The stamp is "God is Great" though in a form I have not, til now, seen. I would ignore the scabbards in both cases and hilt decoration as having been done relatively recently and of no significance perhaps.

Regards Ibrahiim.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 21st November 2011, 06:02 PM

Salaams Forum,

Salaams, I have an important note for Forum,

Reference Motivate Publishing. The Craft Herritage of Oman. By Neil Richardson and Marcia Dorr in two volumes.

I have said that the straight weapon was called Kattara whilst the curved is called a Sayf. This is true and untrue to the extent that ;

1. Regionally there appears to be some flexible name useage/mixup.
2. People I ask just guess and say the first thing in their heads!
3. People don't know.

Here I give warning notice that we may have got it all the wrong way round.

The straight is a Sayf and the curved is a Kattara.

My reference is The Great Herritage of Oman by Richardson and Dorr, page 230. and page 455. I can seriously reccommend this book as the Omani artefact book .. The best I have seen... It even has reference pictures from My Fathers old store! I am embarrased somewhat by the fact that for decades I have been wrongly naming and referring to the swords when in fact they are the other way around....!!!

I started asking people a few months ago which was which and to my horror I realised no one had any proof and most were, as usual, guessing. Omani people call all swords Sayf or Saif or Kattara depending on which way the wind is blowing !! and come to think of it ... it makes little or no difference to them anyway. Trying to research under that arrangement drives me crazy !!

Forum please note! Straight Omani Swords are called Sayf and curved are Kattara. ~ I am very embarrassed and for the rest of the week I shall be wearing a set of donkeys ears !!

A curved Kattara in the Bait al Zubair collection looks to be 18/19thC and attributed possibly to German origin. (page 455 same ref.) The book also illustrates other curved kattara from Persia but used in Oman.

So the straight weapon is a Saif, The curved is a Kattara (or Kittara). There is another with a flambouyant wavy edge and a single fuller called Saif abu Falq. The blades with 3 fullers are termed abu thalath musayil. I heard the term for the first time today to describe the old Omani sword (turned down quillons ) as Yemeni Sayf !! though I proceed with great care along that road.

Some mystique continues to surround all things Omani and questions still arise in all sectors on origins particularly the so called European trade blades? I see a new derivative on the Old Omani Sword with a Royal Sa- idiyyah hilt. Regarding Ters Shields it is rumoured they came from Zanzibar and are of some amphibious animal hide that could be either/or Whale, Hippo, Rhino or Waterbuffalo.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 25th November 2011, 07:32 AM

The straight is a Sayf and the Curved is a Kattara.

Salaams All,

There have been a few bombshells on the thread so far... a bumpy ride but I hope worth it eventually. Here is another ~

From a very well informed source within the Omani historical documentation record..page 450 of Richardson and Dorr (The Bible on Omani artefacts) says ;

Quote "The majority of steel blades used in Omani weaponry are of foreign origin. As late as the mid 20thC, however, many high quality Omani blades were produced by itinerant "gypsy" smiths who travelled from town to town working to commission. Today gypsy blade-makers no longer ply their trade but the traditional hand forging of Omani blades persists in a small number of workshops located in Northern Oman and Musandam".Unquote.

I believe that is the historical equivalent of a custard pie !!

This could well explain why:

1. The fact that no 2 Straight Sayf blades are the same.
2. No sword workshops appear anywhere to date (except in the Musandam)
3. The ghost like appearance of blades without proof of production.
4. My tilting at windmills.

Having now achieved thus far some reasonable details I am still looking at several discrepancies and need to confirm if there was a second thinner blade to the older sword sometime in about the 17th C. Regards Ibrahiim

"The straight is a Sayf and the Curved is a Kattara".

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 25th November 2011, 03:20 PM

"The straight is a Sayf and the Curved is a Kattara".

Salaams All ~ Brilliant News !!!

I have just been visited by the national documents researcher of Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage; Madam Ghaya Khalfan al Dhaheri who is from the oldest and most highly respected family in Al Ain and a specialist in all things "artefact" in the UAE. The UAE are our direct neighbors and we almost ... almost ...share the same city. Our part is in Oman and called Buraimi... Their part in the UAE called Al Ain. Each is a few minutes drive..In the old days it was all one.

She has confirmed the details of The Funoon and Razha and indicated that the mimic fighting dance is called Ayaaleh and coresponds to the same routine with Sayf and Terrs as in Oman.

She confirms the name for the Old Omani straight sword ~ The Sayf with turned down Quillons ~ as also being the correct name ie Sayf.... or Saif. Further more that the local name was Saif Yamaani. The straight flexible sword that superceded it is called Sayf also in the UAE. The Kattara is the curved sword though she added that they also called a curved variant Sayf Damasc... which I take to be a Shamshir.

On the question of manufacture of swords by some amazing fluke it turns out that about 100 years ago her great grandfather Rakan Ibn Suroor al Dhahiri made swords in Al Ain 20 minutes away! They used the bellows method to raise the heat in the small furnace combined with a special wood called Al Yaraabi from the Samar tree. Often the furnace would be run for more than two days solid, day and night, until a weapon was produced. They had a team of bellows men working in turns to push air into the forge. Rakan Ibn Suroor actually made a famous sword called dark cloud (Ghamaam) for the father of the late ruler known as Sheikh Zayed The Great. I may relate that amazing tale later..

What is astonishing is that we have now identified a manufacturing base right here... within a few kilometres of Buraimi and of course the name and a great contact and a historian of some notoriety.

Regarding the situation about Gypsies (Zutood) ... I was pleasantly surprised to learn that a band of Gypsies used to come to this region Al Ain/ Buraimi many years ago from Oman having arrived on the Omani coast by Dhow from India. They were she said very Indian in appearance and did weird dancing , didnt pray, spoke an unintelligible language, stole everything they could lay their hands on and after a few weeks suddenly they would vanish to the Gulf Coast and presumeably onto a Dhow for India until the next time...

It is not beyond belief that the same or similar Gypsies perhaps having learned their trade from Hyderabad? pedalled swords and made them on commission for Omanis as per my previous post. This is perhaps the loose cannon in the equation and though probably untraceable it does explain some of the mystique ... A wandering forge sword manufacturing team !

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

20th November 2011, 06:14 PM	#4
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Salaams All, Here are some pictures of a pair of identical blade marks made on apparently two different blade types at the same time and at the same position on each blade and on each side. I noted in my previous letter of swords leaching into the Omani system over the years however I would ask the forum a question; ~ Looking at the wear on these blades what would you attribute their age and where would you reckon they are from ~ ? These of course are curved Omani Sayfs aren't they?... which attained Iconic status like a number of other Omani variants according to photos of various Sultans up to late 19thC and early 20th C. Known Iconic swords worn thus are Shamshir, Sayf, Zanzibari Nimcha, and Kattara both new and old(though, interestingly, not the somewhat fabled 17th C replacement variant blade for the old Kattara.) The stamp is "God is Great" though in a form I have not, til now, seen. I would ignore the scabbards in both cases and hilt decoration as having been done relatively recently and of no significance perhaps. Regards Ibrahiim. Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 20th November 2011 at 06:31 PM.

21st November 2011, 06:02 PM	#5
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Some important corrections to Terminology of Omani swords. Salaams Forum, Salaams, I have an important note for Forum, Reference Motivate Publishing. The Craft Herritage of Oman. By Neil Richardson and Marcia Dorr in two volumes. I have said that the straight weapon was called Kattara whilst the curved is called a Sayf. This is true and untrue to the extent that ; 1. Regionally there appears to be some flexible name useage/mixup. 2. People I ask just guess and say the first thing in their heads! 3. People don't know. Here I give warning notice that we may have got it all the wrong way round. The straight is a Sayf and the curved is a Kattara. My reference is The Great Herritage of Oman by Richardson and Dorr, page 230. and page 455. I can seriously reccommend this book as the Omani artefact book .. The best I have seen... It even has reference pictures from My Fathers old store! I am embarrased somewhat by the fact that for decades I have been wrongly naming and referring to the swords when in fact they are the other way around....!!! I started asking people a few months ago which was which and to my horror I realised no one had any proof and most were, as usual, guessing. Omani people call all swords Sayf or Saif or Kattara depending on which way the wind is blowing !! and come to think of it ... it makes little or no difference to them anyway. Trying to research under that arrangement drives me crazy !! Forum please note! Straight Omani Swords are called Sayf and curved are Kattara. ~ I am very embarrassed and for the rest of the week I shall be wearing a set of donkeys ears !! A curved Kattara in the Bait al Zubair collection looks to be 18/19thC and attributed possibly to German origin. (page 455 same ref.) The book also illustrates other curved kattara from Persia but used in Oman. So the straight weapon is a Saif, The curved is a Kattara (or Kittara). There is another with a flambouyant wavy edge and a single fuller called Saif abu Falq. The blades with 3 fullers are termed abu thalath musayil. I heard the term for the first time today to describe the old Omani sword (turned down quillons ) as Yemeni Sayf !! though I proceed with great care along that road. Some mystique continues to surround all things Omani and questions still arise in all sectors on origins particularly the so called European trade blades? I see a new derivative on the Old Omani Sword with a Royal Sa- idiyyah hilt. Regarding Ters Shields it is rumoured they came from Zanzibar and are of some amphibious animal hide that could be either/or Whale, Hippo, Rhino or Waterbuffalo. Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

25th November 2011, 03:20 PM	#7
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	"The straight is a Sayf and the Curved is a Kattara". Salaams All ~ Brilliant News !!! I have just been visited by the national documents researcher of Abu Dhabi Culture and Heritage; Madam Ghaya Khalfan al Dhaheri who is from the oldest and most highly respected family in Al Ain and a specialist in all things "artefact" in the UAE. The UAE are our direct neighbors and we almost ... almost ...share the same city. Our part is in Oman and called Buraimi... Their part in the UAE called Al Ain. Each is a few minutes drive..In the old days it was all one. She has confirmed the details of The Funoon and Razha and indicated that the mimic fighting dance is called Ayaaleh and coresponds to the same routine with Sayf and Terrs as in Oman. She confirms the name for the Old Omani straight sword ~ The Sayf with turned down Quillons ~ as also being the correct name ie Sayf.... or Saif. Further more that the local name was Saif Yamaani. The straight flexible sword that superceded it is called Sayf also in the UAE. The Kattara is the curved sword though she added that they also called a curved variant Sayf Damasc... which I take to be a Shamshir. On the question of manufacture of swords by some amazing fluke it turns out that about 100 years ago her great grandfather Rakan Ibn Suroor al Dhahiri made swords in Al Ain 20 minutes away! They used the bellows method to raise the heat in the small furnace combined with a special wood called Al Yaraabi from the Samar tree. Often the furnace would be run for more than two days solid, day and night, until a weapon was produced. They had a team of bellows men working in turns to push air into the forge. Rakan Ibn Suroor actually made a famous sword called dark cloud (Ghamaam) for the father of the late ruler known as Sheikh Zayed The Great. I may relate that amazing tale later.. What is astonishing is that we have now identified a manufacturing base right here... within a few kilometres of Buraimi and of course the name and a great contact and a historian of some notoriety. Regarding the situation about Gypsies (Zutood) ... I was pleasantly surprised to learn that a band of Gypsies used to come to this region Al Ain/ Buraimi many years ago from Oman having arrived on the Omani coast by Dhow from India. They were she said very Indian in appearance and did weird dancing , didnt pray, spoke an unintelligible language, stole everything they could lay their hands on and after a few weeks suddenly they would vanish to the Gulf Coast and presumeably onto a Dhow for India until the next time... It is not beyond belief that the same or similar Gypsies perhaps having learned their trade from Hyderabad? pedalled swords and made them on commission for Omanis as per my previous post. This is perhaps the loose cannon in the equation and though probably untraceable it does explain some of the mystique ... A wandering forge sword manufacturing team ! Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi. Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 25th November 2011 at 03:35 PM.

15th November 2011, 04:59 PM	#1
Michael Blalock Member Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: dc Posts: 271	The marks on the last picture of the blade do look like remants of lettering to me but I can't make anything out. Maybe the guys at the FBI who can read filed off serial numbers could read it. I could try various spectrum of light.

20th November 2011, 04:13 PM	#3
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Salaams All, The investigation continues and we are at a crossroads in the research rather than a stall point. Various additional information has come to light including the alternative use of a sandal as a shield in the absence of the Terrs and some indicators of stamp maker marks on old Kattara from the interior plus a very recent pair of perhaps old 18th C curved Sayf blades possibly from Salalah with identical "god is great stamps" different to any seen so far. I offer the following framework so far uncovered to date; We have concluded that extensive evidence indicates an early Abbasid influenced straight sword, rigid, with turned down quillons, 8 sided hilt and Islamic pommel with occasionally blade dots; Sword variously Shown on this thread. Date of design and inception 751 AD , parallel with the appearance in Oman of The First Immam, Ibn Julanda. The early Kattara used as the "Heraldic" Ibathi Sword used against the Abbasids garrisoned in Oman whose Caliphs in Iraq vehemently disagreed with the formation of the splinter group Ibathi sect. Thus; The Omani Sword known as Kattara used in unison with the Terrs Shield and displayed in the Funoon as both an ancient ritual parade sword dance and mimic martial dance notably in The Razha; The Sword Dance... in the mid 8thC. A.D. The sword went on for a thousand years or more (Gaining Iconic status in the last 200 years) though perhaps in the 17th C a replacement thinner lighter more flexible blade appeared possibly from European sources. It is likely that with the advent of gunpowder sparked the demise of bladed weapons though the loss of expertise in making original wing shaped cross sectioned blades may also have led to the cheaper replacements. In fact the story could be a reversal of that since all males over about 16 years of age are eligible to yield a Kattara and that more men now have a sword for ritual dancing than ever before. Some time later perhaps in the 18th ? 19th C a complete sword appeared i.e. blade hilt and pommel as one piece. This blade was very Flexible capable of a 90 degree bend from the spatulate tip. It was to revolutionise the Funoon. It has been suggested it is a European Trade Blade though no solid proof exists. The blades carry a variety of blademarks many of which are fake or copies. No ships manifests have yet been discovered of numbers of blades in the hold for delivery to Oman. It is suggested by association that since Africa was awash with German blades then Oman must also have been. Yet no evidence exists, no other place in the Red Sea, Africa, Yemen India or Iran sport these blades. They are entirely specific to Oman and no blade stamps are conclusive as to origin. Tantalising blades similar but not flexible and much thicker seem to come from Saudia and or Yemen as #1 on this thread which may or may not be related and carry distinctive blade marks suggested as being either a european copy (Peter Cull cross) or Islamic forms of Akhbar(great) short calligraphy form of the god is great stamp. This was a dancing sword and could be buzzed in the air. Whats more it was peculiar to Oman only and the reason why it turned up in Zanzibar was because Oman owned it.. The sword encompassed the Terrs and inherited the name Kattara. The point of the research is to try to define where did the new blades originate and when? By normal trade inside Oman, through and between souqs, recent blades (aprox within the last 100 years) appear. Two known sources are Ras Al Khaimah and Salalah. It is likely that other centres have knocked out suitably made blades including Nizwa and Muscat. How much has leaked into Oman from Yemen, Persia, India, Sri Lanka, Zanzibar, Africa, Europe or other centres is unknown but is probably substantial. It could be that in searching for a mass influx at some point in time in the last 200 years of a vast quantity of blades is in fact chasing shadows but we are not alone in history and perhaps the art of "tilting at windmills" is still alive. The search continues. Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi. I will show the pair of Salalah Sayf in my next letter ..In detail... It may come as a shock to some...

25th November 2011, 07:32 AM	#6
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	The straight is a Sayf and the Curved is a Kattara. Salaams All, There have been a few bombshells on the thread so far... a bumpy ride but I hope worth it eventually. Here is another ~ From a very well informed source within the Omani historical documentation record..page 450 of Richardson and Dorr (The Bible on Omani artefacts) says ; Quote "The majority of steel blades used in Omani weaponry are of foreign origin. As late as the mid 20thC, however, many high quality Omani blades were produced by itinerant "gypsy" smiths who travelled from town to town working to commission. Today gypsy blade-makers no longer ply their trade but the traditional hand forging of Omani blades persists in a small number of workshops located in Northern Oman and Musandam".Unquote. I believe that is the historical equivalent of a custard pie !! This could well explain why: 1. The fact that no 2 Straight Sayf blades are the same. 2. No sword workshops appear anywhere to date (except in the Musandam) 3. The ghost like appearance of blades without proof of production. 4. My tilting at windmills. Having now achieved thus far some reasonable details I am still looking at several discrepancies and need to confirm if there was a second thinner blade to the older sword sometime in about the 17th C. Regards Ibrahiim "The straight is a Sayf and the Curved is a Kattara".