The Omani Battle Sword. Sayf Yamaani.

[colin henshaw]

A fine sword. Congratulations !

[Michael Blalock]

Very nice sword Ibrahiim

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all ~ This is indeed an awesome battle sword. I have, however only ever seen one proper looking stamp or rather inscription which I believe has a date and the makers name but I cannot decipher..Possibly Nizwa.

I have just completed a restoration of a couple of hilts (leather work) and the placement of scabbards with swords that had none... lost in time....The leather work is as per the Battle Sword Example at the TRM in Quwait and various examples in Muscat museums. The leather is occasionally dyed either black or brown. The pattern typically geometric. This is a multi phase restoration with the remaining phase to include silver mounts and possible silver floral work to the 2 holes in the crossguard... small silver studs. There may be added quite extensive silver to the throat and toe. Over the last few centuries and certainly since the 1744 takeover of the dynasty now ruling this sword has become iconic and even has a silver hilt like the Royal Khanjar.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams All ~ Just to bring the thread up to speed with the pairing up of the Terrs Shield (a Buckler form) and a Royal Hilt. The sword shown is the same sword restored above at left on final picture etc
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams Note to Library; A largely pictorial note is logged in here to patch in the varieties of like type swords identified as far back as Abassiid through the Mamluke and Ottoman transfer of technology and via the Abasiids directly to the Omani style during their battles in the 8th C.ad...

The long metalic hilt is being pondered as of January 2013 as linked with the development of the Omani long hilt Sayfs and Kattaras possibly late 18th C. either accidentally or deliberately linked to the formation of the Al busaiid dynasty and / or with the slave trade link.

The Omani Battle Sword is being viewed as linked to the Abassiid in either its dis similar hilt form (photo 3 below) or the long hilt in the Istanbul Military Museum likely to also be Mamluke and Abbasiid.

Where the Wallace Sword fits is also open to conjecture.... it is dated about 1790.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams All Note to Library So as to be less confusing I will tend to only mention Omani Battle Swords on this thread... and use the other thread Kattara for comment http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...&page=11&pp=30 for the inclusion of Sayf dancing sword and Kattara detail for now even though the paths of these swords pass in front of each other and are often mingled together. Where I refer to Mamluke Swords I mean Mamluke Swords in the Ottoman sense of sword as technology transfered down the ages thus likely to be Abasiid. i.e. Ottoman, Mamluke, Abasiid thus likely to have been used against the Oman in 751 a.d. by the Iraqi garrisons in Oman at the time suppressing Ibathi Islam.... and garrisoned in Buraimi.

We know in addition that the swords at picture 3 are Abassiid since similar variants appear in the Topkapi museum named as such. For a view of the Topkapi swords see picture 4 below.

A full comparison done at "Kattara for comments" http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...&page=11&pp=30 #314 notes the following in the case of similarities with the weapons at 4.

1. Both are early two edged Islamic Arab Battle Swords.
2. Both blades have an integral tang with an added pommel or cap.
3. Both have three holes in the handle which is similarly constructed with rivets. The top hole apparently for a wrist strap.
4. Both weapons have quillons.
5. Both blades are wing shaped in cross section, thinning toward the tip.
6. Both blades culminate in a round/spatulate tip.
7. Both blades (though not all examples of the Omani sword) have the golden dot or dots on the blade. The dot in Islamic geometry is an important centre of the universe construct.
8. Both hilts are topped with a cap in the case of the Abbasid and an Islamic arch pommel culminating in a short spike on the Omani.
9. Neither blade has risers nor fullers though in much later blades fullers may appear.
10. Both blades are stiff and generally only slightly flexible.
11. Both handles are octagonal in cross section *
12. If the rounded tip concept is accepted; the style of fighting must have been "chop and slash" in both cases.

Now in comparing the Omani Battle Sword at picture 1 below with Picture 2s Sword all of the above plus in terms of the hilt an almost identical style in two distinct sections with a pointed pommel (not attached to the tang) though variation in the cuff which is twice as big in the Mamluke version and the quillons blend in the Mamluke to form flanking strengtheners to the cuff.

I hope this brings this thread into line with the other threads with similar input... and slightly re-aligns the general theory about the Omani Battle Sword.

This falls into line timewise and insofar as the previous hypothesis on Omani Battle Swords changes nothing in the original but leaves open several routes on the following which will be spun off to other threads but placed here for reference;

1. How did the sword at picture 2 below influence Red Sea Swords introduced there by the Ottoman Empire ? If so when and where?
2. Did the long metalic hilt at picture 2 influence the Omani design of long hilt on the Sayf and Kattara. If so when?
3. Did this sword or the sword at picture 3/4 have any other Red Sea influence? If so when and where?
4. How does the Wallace sword fit in with this sword family if at all ?

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Note (It can be seen that the swords at both 3(Mamluke) and 4(Abasiid) are the same type.)

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

More Old Omani Battle Swords.