Bedouin Sword for Discussion

[TVV]

I understand and share your disappointment, but ultimately find it better to accept the facts. And in the case of these swords with varying blades and crude hilts imitating the hilts of seifs from Zanzibar, the facts point to a modern production, likely coming from Yemen and not intended for battle, but for the souvenir trade.

If it is of any consolation, I am the (not so) proud owner of one of these, except it is in much worse shape than yours:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8997

You can see some more examples in this old thread about the souks in Riyadh:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3974

I am not sure that I would go as far as to label these swords "fakes", since the word "fake" implies an intent to deceive, and these are so crude that it seems unlikely that anyone is really trying to pass them off as authentic 19th century examples. These swords seem to be produced to satisfy a certain demand, rather than to deceive collectors like you and me: we just happened to make a mistake due to insufficient knowledge of the local souks. The blade on yours looks quite nice and is probably antique. It may have even been used within the culture in a different dress before.

I also do not feel that Ibrahim's post's intent was to offend: as someone who has the benefit of exposure to all the modern sword production in the area, he is uniquely qialified to educate us on it. I may not agree with him on absolutely everything, but I appreciate his local perspective and the knowledge he brings, and in this case, I feel that unfortunately he is correct.

Regards,
Teodor

[Jim McDougall]

Very well put Teodor, and I very much agree. I personally am not in favor of the 'fake' term despite the fact that there are certainly obvious cases that deserve that description, however sometimes it may be inadvertantly used. I think Ibrahiim does well in helping us become more aware of the variations and types of weapons offered in many of the circumstances he has experienced, and it is not easy to be explicit or candid in explaining these things without sounding harsh. Sometimes the poor standards present in commercial traffic in many examples can be frustrating, especially for those of us working to study the history of weapons forms, and that can sometimes creep into comments.

Actually these ringed hilts do appear to be Yemeni versions or at least seem believed to be from Zanzibar from around the 1960s from one I acquired and information from its source. Some earlier research notes these from Zanzibar (Cavalierre; Jacob) and Buttin considers the examples he shows (1933) as 17th-18th century, so the form seems quite old.Actually these rings were a feature seen on Italian sword forms from 16th century which influenced others as more complex guards developed.

While many of these, as noted, have substantial blades and likely were for actual use, it does seem that the more current markets are indeed producing examples more to satisfy souvenier demands (as seen by the examples Ibrahiim has posted with poorly defined fullers).

I think the Bedouin classification is pretty broadly used, and certainly could refer to any of the tribal groups over most of the Peninsula and other areas.
I have always felt that many of these weapons were intended for actual tribal wear/use but with the knowledge that they would be sold as required to tourists or others. Some with clearly inadequate blades would be the exception.

[kahnjar1]

Thanks Jim, and a Happy New Year.
I am not, as Teodor suggests disappointed, as I posted this for COMMENT, good or bad. As you have stated Jim, the term "Bedouin" is indeed used to cover a large area, and perhaps I should more correctly have used term "Arabian". As to the age, the scabbard at least is not new, and is much older than the one in the pic posted by Ibrahiim. I have no doubt that the hilt is a "backyard" piece, but the blade, which may be new or old, is certainly functional as a fighting piece. Even if this piece is from around the 1960s as you suggest, it is still approaching 60 years old now. Not a new made item as are being turned out to catch the unwary, and, I should add, at absolutely rediculous prices.
Stu

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Very well put Teodor, and I very much agree. I personally am not in favor of the 'fake' term despite the fact that there are certainly obvious cases that deserve that description, however sometimes it may be inadvertantly used. I think Ibrahiim does well in helping us become more aware of the variations and types of weapons offered in many of the circumstances he has experienced, and it is not easy to be explicit or candid in explaining these things without sounding harsh. Sometimes the poor standards present in commercial traffic in many examples can be frustrating, especially for those of us working to study the history of weapons forms, and that can sometimes creep into comments.

Actually these ringed hilts do appear to be Yemeni versions or at least seem believed to be from Zanzibar from around the 1960s from one I acquired and information from its source. Some earlier research notes these from Zanzibar (Cavalierre; Jacob) and Buttin considers the examples he shows (1933) as 17th-18th century, so the form seems quite old.Actually these rings were a feature seen on Italian sword forms from 16th century which influenced others as more complex guards developed.

While many of these, as noted, have substantial blades and likely were for actual use, it does seem that the more current markets are indeed producing examples more to satisfy souvenier demands (as seen by the examples Ibrahiim has posted with poorly defined fullers).

I think the Bedouin classification is pretty broadly used, and certainly could refer to any of the tribal groups over most of the Peninsula and other areas.
I have always felt that many of these weapons were intended for actual tribal wear/use but with the knowledge that they would be sold as required to tourists or others. Some with clearly inadequate blades would be the exception.

[Jim McDougall]

Thanks Stu, and happy new year to you as well,
I think this does look functional also, and it seems to me the goatskin and character of the scabbard would suggest it would be from some remote tribal use rather than made for sale in souks specifically. That is structly presumption on my part as I have never travelled to these places, and I am going mostly on information picked up through the years from others who have been in them.

As I mentioned I picked up one of these years ago which I was told had been among a good number of similar ones in Yemen, and that they had been used or for use during the civil war going on there in the 1960s. While it seems bizarre that swords would be still in use, it must be remembered that even then in remote regions, tribesmen still wore sabres. Many examples could certainly have been ersatz pieces cobbled together by less than skilled persons. This kind of fabrication has been seen in so many cases in times of strife, and these kinds of pieces are truly hard to identify and substantiate.
To me it seems that weapons made for tourist consumption and commercial stock would be a bit more consistant in the components and somewhat better assembled. On the other hand, as Ibrahiim notes, perhaps these industrious souk suppliers know this and deliberately fabricate random like composites.
The best proof is in the actual handling and the feel of the weapon. It is almost impossible to guage this factor from pictures.

All the best,
Jim

[kahnjar1]

Thanks Jim. I agree that the goatskin is unlikely to have been used in tourist pieces. The entire scabbard here is definitely OLD and not of modern making. The leather is very thin and brittle, and the goat skin is uncured (green) and shrunk on. It is VERY hard. I am prepared to accept that the hilt is likely more recent, but the blade could be old or more recent....hard to be sure but of good quality either way. There are no marks.
As far as this piece being a "user", the weight is "blade down" when held in the hand, and balance appears very good....not what I would have expected in a tourist piece.
Stu

[Atlantia]

Stu,

What's the blade like on yours? Is it sharp? What's the steel like?
The blade on Ibrahiims example looks completely flat with simple fullers, almost like a long machete blade.
Now that's not to say that the machete isn't a formidable weapon! Hell, it was probobly the most widely used 'sword' in Africa in the 20thC!
Although they are clearly the same type, Ibrahiims looks new and yours looks to have some age.

I have to say that as a tourist souvenir these would seem on the face of it to be somewhat impractical.
Often an item made to attract the eye of the traveller is 'pretty' on the outside with a blade that ranges from 'just usable' to completely unusable and purely decorative.
Your sword seems to flip this trend.
I can't see these being popular with todays travellers.
If they wanted a souvenir then surely the veritable flood of Jambiya, Khanjar and genuinely 'decorative' (and attractive) daggers that are being pushed by every street trader would be the obvious and preferred choice?

Just my thoughts.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams ALL ~ It appears that these blades arrive into Oman with hilts in this fashion bought as bulk purchase then sorted for either immediate sale to tourists or for re hilting on long Omani hilts as Kattara styles and then on for the souks tourists and all. The choice as to which blade get what treatment seems totally random.

As to how old they are is an interesting question as some appear new whilst others have been acid dropped and or buried...or both. It is extremely difficult to deduce the age on these blades. Knowing what is going on, however, helps the collector to make a qualified decision. In Oman there is real antiquity mixed unashamedly with stuff of dubious birth certification but thats part of the fun at the fair. Tourists on the other hand are very succeptible to being slightly taken in ....but nicely. Same the world over.

We took one Yemeni Nimcha apart recently in the workshop and one simple tap with the hammer disintegrated the entire hilt. On the other hand when the tang is extended and an Omani Long Hilt is applied with pommel the unit is strong. Alternatively the falcon head shaped (and often leather covered hilt) is substituted for the low grade Yemeni one retaining the quite useful blade. What is perhaps more to the point is that this shortish curved blade with an Omani Long Hilt is much more comfortable to wear simply stuffed under a sash or simple belt and worn in the badge of office role ...not as weapons... something I suspect may have also happened in the Bedouin sense since these variants with the flimsy made hilts would fall apart at the first contact... if, in fact, they ever saw service with Bedouin at all.

My theory is that in 1948 through 1952 the Jewish artesans largely vanished from Yemen and with their demise, in terms of effect upon the local quality of work, weapons of a lesser quality emerged. There are scores if not hundreds in Mutrah. Estimating the total weight of these weapons sold in Mutrah may extend into the THOUSANDS!!

[B]This is quite important actually since it is the solution, or part of it, to the supply of Kattara blades "of this nature" into Oman. However, if you ask me how many Omanis now buy these short curved swords/converted nimchas on Omani long hilts, irrespective of the age of the blades (and some are old~ 100, 150 years) I would have to say...none. I think the time has passed when Omani men carried this style of weapon and it has slipped away into history...though I still see the odd old gentleman wearing them and I have never seen an Omani with the rough Yemeni hilt...never.

Please see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=10455 #25 #47 #88 #154 #241(this is an Ethiopian ~German Blade which had a tang extension and pommel done) and #325 (first photo) where blades imported variously and many Yemeni poorly done hilts are reconstructed with Falcon Heads and Omani Longs ~ for the tourist market.

As a late added note to this post I should add that it is worth looking beyond the Yemen delivery date of these swords and in discovering that these blades many of which are quite bona fide steels often from Europe via Africa and a lot which were properly hilted found there way onto proper swords around the region. I assume that there are great stocks of these in storerooms in Sanaa but I have no evidence except in calculating the numbers pumped through Mutrah...and that is never easy. For sure items get the antique treatment and leather and hide are easy to confuse by burying while blades look 200 years older after the acid trick...In conclusion its always a good idea to look around to see whats being done and if the trend indicates there are lots of items like this being floated as original battle swords of the Bedouin you can bet they aren't. Then verbally having beaten the truth out of the seller that they may be Yemeni you just have to search a little deeper and ask yourself the question ...why are they here?


Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by TVV

I understand and share your disappointment, but ultimately find it better to accept the facts. And in the case of these swords with varying blades and crude hilts imitating the hilts of seifs from Zanzibar, the facts point to a modern production, likely coming from Yemen and not intended for battle, but for the souvenir trade.

If it is of any consolation, I am the (not so) proud owner of one of these, except it is in much worse shape than yours:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=8997

You can see some more examples in this old thread about the souks in Riyadh:
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=3974

I am not sure that I would go as far as to label these swords "fakes", since the word "fake" implies an intent to deceive, and these are so crude that it seems unlikely that anyone is really trying to pass them off as authentic 19th century examples. These swords seem to be produced to satisfy a certain demand, rather than to deceive collectors like you and me: we just happened to make a mistake due to insufficient knowledge of the local souks. The blade on yours looks quite nice and is probably antique. It may have even been used within the culture in a different dress before.

I also do not feel that Ibrahim's post's intent was to offend: as someone who has the benefit of exposure to all the modern sword production in the area, he is uniquely qialified to educate us on it. I may not agree with him on absolutely everything, but I appreciate his local perspective and the knowledge he brings, and in this case, I feel that unfortunately he is correct.

Regards,
Teodor

Salaams TVV...Your curved sword looks like a "Luckhouse and Gunter" imported German blade for the Ethiopian market configured typically with two full length florally decorated fullers and throat stamps etc. Could well have simply slipped onto the bulk blades market and re hilted for the souks; Saudia or Yemen.

With an Ethiopian hilt it would be superb...and correct.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[kahnjar1]

Since the original subject of this thread has now well and truely been hijacked, and we now appear to be discussing an entirely different subject I might as well "join the party".
If one bothers to PROPERLY read the linked thread about the Ethiopian bladed Saif, it clearly states that the blade is marked with the letters M K.
A little research reveals that these stand for M.KEVORKOFF & CO who were importers based in Harrar, Ethiopia. Absolutely nothing to do with Luckhouse & Gunter...... (actual spelling is LUCKHAUS & GUNTHER)
Blades for Ethiopia were made in their thousands by Solingen makers but also Wilkinson of London and exported unmounted.
It is reasonable to assume that many of these found their way into the hands of various Tribes and were mounted by them in their own style.
The idea that these were rehilted for the Souks is ridiculous, as anyone with a small amount of knowledge of the history of Arabia will know that at the time these were imported, the then Colonial Powers were all vying for allegence from the various Arab Tribes, and there was continual fighting going on.
In fact Saudia did not even exist at that time, only coming into existance in the 1930s, and it was not until after WW 2 that Arabia was "opened up" and the first "tourists" started to arrive in any numbers.
So lets try to be a little realistic and accept that not every "different" sword was intended for the Souks!!

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams TVV...Your curved sword looks like a "Luckhouse and Gunter" imported German blade for the Ethiopian market configured typically with two full length florally decorated fullers and throat stamps etc. Could well have simply slipped onto the bulk blades market and re hilted for the souks; Saudia or Yemen.

With an Ethiopian hilt it would be superb...and correct.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

Since the original subject of this thread has now well and truely been hijacked, and we now appear to be discussing an entirely different subject I might as well "join the party".
If one bothers to PROPERLY read the linked thread about the Ethiopian bladed Saif, it clearly states that the blade is marked with the letters M K.
A little research reveals that these stand for M.KEVORKOFF & CO who were importers based in Harrar, Ethiopia. Absolutely nothing to do with Luckhouse & Gunter...... (actual spelling is LUCKHAUS & GUNTHER)
Blades for Ethiopia were made in their thousands by Solingen makers but also Wilkinson of London and exported unmounted.
It is reasonable to assume that many of these found their way into the hands of various Tribes and were mounted by them in their own style.
The idea that these were rehilted for the Souks is ridiculous, as anyone with a small amount of knowledge of the history of Arabia will know that at the time these were imported, the then Colonial Powers were all vying for allegence from the various Arab Tribes, and there was continual fighting going on.
In fact Saudia did not even exist at that time, only coming into existance in the 1930s, and it was not until after WW 2 that Arabia was "opened up" and the first "tourists" started to arrive in any numbers.
So lets try to be a little realistic and accept that not every "different" sword was intended for the Souks!!

Salaams ...Not quite...I believe MK were the importers of such blades and the insignia denotes where the blade was made ie Luckhause and Gunther factory..Anyway the fact is that those blades are acceptable in Ethiopia.
Of the rest you are probably confused but my advice is to observe firstly the most updated information on Swords and Omani Artefacts which is from the Richardson and Dorr manual ... the classic chapter and verse on Omani antiquity. You are miles out on your guestimate about these Yemani swords as they are pure slight of hand straight down the line tourist items which is a pity as the majority of blades arent at all bad. You should therefor envisage what blades are acceptable in which countries on which hilts...Tourism in Oman was non existant in Oman before 1970. In Oman there is no way these Yemeni/Saudia knock ups are acceptable...eccept as I say as tourist items. I cant be fairer than that.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[kahnjar1]

What??? You obviously need to carefully re read what I said. No mention was made of Oman or Omani artifacts, but the comments were related to your assumption that most blades which are not mounted to the custom of a particular country, are no more than traps for the tourist.. My point is that until very recent times (your statement of 1970 is about right) tourism as we now know it did not exist in Arabia, so why would swords be "manufactured" to fool non existant tourists?

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams ...Not quite...I believe MK were the importers of such blades and the insignia denotes where the blade was made ie Luckhause and Gunther factory..Anyway the fact is that those blades are acceptable in Ethiopia.
Of the rest you are probably confused but my advice is to observe firstly the most updated information on Swords and Omani Artefacts which is from the Richardson and Dorr manual ... the classic chapter and verse on Omani antiquity. You are miles out on your guestimate about these Yemani swords as they are pure slight of hand straight down the line tourist items which is a pity as the majority of blades arent at all bad. You should therefor envisage what blades are acceptable in which countries on which hilts...Tourism in Oman was non existant in Oman before 1970. In Oman there is no way these Yemeni/Saudia knock ups are acceptable...eccept as I say as tourist items. I cant be fairer than that.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by kahnjar1

What??? You obviously need to carefully re read what I said. No mention was made of Oman or Omani artifacts, but the comments were related to your assumption that most blades which are not mounted to the custom of a particular country, are no more than traps for the tourist.. My point is that until very recent times (your statement of 1970 is about right) tourism as we now know it did not exist in Arabia, so why would swords be "manufactured" to fool non existant tourists?

Salaams ~ As far as the date specifics are concerned the Mutrah workshops recall sometime in the late 70s / early 80s as the timeframe for the appearance of the knocked up hilts which they describe as Saudia or Yemeni. My guess that they were done as a result of the exodus of expert Jewish craftsmen is withdrawn (it seemed to fit) but there was a gap of about 20 years since Mutrah didn't free up for tourism until after 1970. The attribution that they were swords initially stripped of rhino hilts then put on the general souk trade routes makes a lot of sense. Either way you have one of them.

You have a tourist sword with what appears to be a Sanaa or Saudia makeshift hilt. The blade isn't at all bad... they pour out of Yemen these days and the best estimate yet is that they were rehilted to take advantage of their original rhino hilts then the blades were tipped onto the souk market for Quwait, Riyad, Muscat and Sharjah etc for tourists. Once the Sanaa merchants realised that here was a perfectly easy way to make a few bucks I think they then went into overdrive and thus a secondary industry has unfolded, consequently, new blades are being presented with such hilts retaining the old ploy that these are "genuine bedouine" ~ its what the tourists want to hear...

My knowledge of this style comes from having seen hundreds in Mutrah, Sharjah and other Souks where you are literally tripping over the things and although the odd one has an interesting blade and stamp and they are also shoved onto Omani longhilts in Muscat the aim is to push these in front of visitors as tourist swords. That's what you have ~ A tourist sword.

Be happy with that or put another hilt on it... Rehilting isn't a sin...It has been done for hundreds of years both on and off the battlefield.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[spiral]

I have read{But sadley cant recall the source} that many Ethiopean swords were imported into Yemen 2 or 3 decades ago to turn the rhino horn sword hilts into Jambiya Handles.

Id guess this could be a factor.

Spiral

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by spiral

I have read{But sadley cant recall the source} that many Ethiopean swords were imported into Yemen 2 or 3 decades ago to turn the rhino horn sword hilts into Jambiya Handles.

Id guess this could be a factor.

Spiral

Salaams Spiral ~Thank you. Your well timed note on the recycling of Rhino hilts from swords to Jambia falls perfectly into line with my estimated and slightly re aligned timescale and is the highly plausible reason for these blades with roughly reworked hilts hitting souks in the region in the late 70s early 80s and until now.
As a matter of interest there is another hilt that may be another back street add on from there(Riyad/Sanaa).. and that is the guardless long cuffed tubular grip with pommel at http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...5&page=9&pp=30 #252 top picture refers.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams Spiral ~Thank you. Your well timed note on the recycling of Rhino hilts from swords to Jambia falls perfectly into line with my estimated and slightly re aligned timescale and is the highly plausible reason for these blades with roughly reworked hilts hitting souks in the region in the late 70s early 80s and until now.
As a matter of interest there is another hilt that may be another back street add on from there(Riyad/Sanaa).. and that is the guardless long cuffed tubular grip with pommel at http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...5&page=9&pp=30 #252 top picture refers.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Salaams Note to forum ~ Damage Control... At the reference above please note the style and age of the scabbards which were purchased in about 1960 and probably have not aged much after that...They look like they were made at the same time as the hilts since they are fitted ... especially the last sword to that style of hilt. It is my suggestion based on this but triggered by a question at http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=16205 that these hilts are specific to that scabbard and sword and that this may be a separate species from the 19th C or before in Saudia Yemen.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi

[TVV]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams TVV...Your curved sword looks like a "Luckhouse and Gunter" imported German blade for the Ethiopian market configured typically with two full length florally decorated fullers and throat stamps etc. Could well have simply slipped onto the bulk blades market and re hilted for the souks; Saudia or Yemen.

With an Ethiopian hilt it would be superb...and correct.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahim,

I am assuming the blade made its way to Yemen because of its former hilt, which was likely rhino and was reused for a jambiya: there have been other examples on the forum of rehilted Ethiopian blades. However, there is one thing that I find somewhat puzzling: the blade was originally straight, and was reforged into a curved one. Logically, it could have been rehilted with its new hilt for the souvenir trade just as it was, so why go through the extra effort of hammering it into a curved one? I can imagine that labor is cheap, but it seems like a totally unnecessary step.

Anyway, for more ethipoian swords rehilted in Yemen, I found this thread. The pictures are now sadly gone, but the hilts were of a different kind, not of the ring hilt variety:
http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001511.html

The thread about the Riyadh bazaars, which I refernced earlier, suggested that the swords in the bazaar were not entirely intended for tourists, but that there was still a local demand for ceremonial and status purposes. While a lot of the production is undoubtedly meant for tourists, we should probably be careful before we quickly dismiss every sword with a modern (1950+) rehilt as a souvenir.

Regards,
Teodor

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by TVV

Ibrahim,

I am assuming the blade made its way to Yemen because of its former hilt, which was likely rhino and was reused for a jambiya: there have been other examples on the forum of rehilted Ethiopian blades. However, there is one thing that I find somewhat puzzling: the blade was originally straight, and was reforged into a curved one. Logically, it could have been rehilted with its new hilt for the souvenir trade just as it was, so why go through the extra effort of hammering it into a curved one? I can imagine that labor is cheap, but it seems like a totally unnecessary step.

Anyway, for more ethipoian swords rehilted in Yemen, I found this thread. The pictures are now sadly gone, but the hilts were of a different kind, not of the ring hilt variety:
http://www.vikingsword.com/ubb/Forum1/HTML/001511.html

The thread about the Riyadh bazaars, which I refernced earlier, suggested that the swords in the bazaar were not entirely intended for tourists, but that there was still a local demand for ceremonial and status purposes. While a lot of the production is undoubtedly meant for tourists, we should probably be careful before we quickly dismiss every sword with a modern (1950+) rehilt as a souvenir.

Regards,
Teodor

Salaams TVV, Yes that was interesting and I wonder what the story was on the curved (straight) Ethiopian/ German blade?

As to the question of how many swords there are in Riyad souk destined for tourists and how many for other users; I have no idea but I do know how the split goes in Muscat ... in terms of the imported blades at project #1 and the like~ all go to tourists.... except where a collector may step in and seeing a good blade may correctly rehilt. I can say that none of these out of area blades with crude hilts have been taken by Omani people to be some sort of weapon or as some kind of hoinorific tool or sword of dance...never!

In the case of short Nimcha blades being suited together on long Omani hilts these also hit the tourists shelves hard since they are quite appealing and almost squeeze through as genuine ... but hopefully this is now fully understood and at least forum are aware of the facts.

I mean anyone or should I say any collector who goes to the souk knowing that these are knocked up hilts aimed at the tourist market is advised to beware. Unless, of course, they were able to apply a correctly researched hilt.

My records go back to 1970 and are tied by the fact that in Muscat the main workshop/souk shop combination is owned by people with the same tribal name.

They say that with tourism no matter what, in the end, the client will buy what they like.... which is understandable when you consider that a 4,000 person cruise ship on a 2 day stop over parked 500 yards from the main Mutrah Souk entrance doesn't have time to educate its client base on all the pitfalls of the souk ...

They just pump them through 30 at a time in small hordes of frenzied bargain snatchers." 'Ere Mildred look at this" ... "It says 'ere Chinese sword made from Meteorite 10,000,000 year old" ... "Ooh is it signed" ... ? "Can I pay by cash"? ... "Do I have to bargain"...?

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.