The Omani Battle Sword. Sayf Yamaani.

Al Shamal · 28th February 2013, 05:26 PM

Salam,

Wow! I have a battle sword and i have the books by Richardson and Dorr....and I never saw the battle sword hiding in that image.....well spotted!!

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 1st March 2013, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Al Shamal

Salam,

Wow! I have a battle sword and i have the books by Richardson and Dorr....and I never saw the battle sword hiding in that image.....well spotted!!

Salaams Al Shamal ~ They now produce an Arabic Version !

On the subject of Old Omani Battle Swords ~ apparently the Muscat Museums have a few of them and theres one in the Al Ain Museum which has a little silver on it in particular a silver floral button in each quillon hole. ( the tag just says "Arabian Sword"

). Theres another in the Tareq Rajab Museum in Quwait placed by me in about ''95. The largest collections are held in the UAE in private hands and each numbers about 20 or 30. I try to get pictures... no avail so far. Out there in the market there are none that I know of. They are truly rare. The museum teams are searching to upgrade in all the major countries around here with new Museums going up in Al Ain, Saudia, Qatar and the Gugenheim and Louvre projects in the UAE etc.

Anyone able to drop in on the Tareq Rajab Museum in Quwait will be astonished at the brilliant collection ... Picture below shows another of their Omani Battle Swords silvered up Royal Icon style to the right of an Omani Dancing sword.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 20th June 2013, 05:35 PM

Salaams all~ Note to Library;

The Old Omani Battle Sword ~ Sayf Yamaani ~ This one with some new work on the hilt using silver stitches and leather. Light wonky but will try to get a better shot later...

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 22nd June 2013, 08:58 AM

Salaams all ~ Better Shot Later ~

What is quite interesting is that this sword came from Rostaq and belonged to a member of the Yaruba dynasty who essentially were the power who ejected the Portuguese in 1650 from Oman. They would probably have used swords like this to do the job... The Old Omani Battle Sword in place for 1261 years since 751 AD is the only true Omani Battle Sword and based on the Abbasiid weapon viewable at the Topkapi both compared by us at...#1. of this thread.

I have checked the hilt which is octagonal and has the original two rivet holes and the third for a wrist strap. The blade is stiff, razor sharp and round tipped with wear at the sweet spot..

The sword was discovered whilst an old house in Rostaq was being demolished. The work on the leathered hilt was completed by an old silversmith in the past 3 months at Rostaq.

The sword has the feeling of excalibur in an odd sort of way... I mean you pick it up and you're off to do battle immediately...Its a dragon slayer !!

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Notes; From Wikipedia.com

Quote" Country; Oman.

Region;
Al Batinah Region.

Rustaq (Arabic: الرستاق‎) is a town and wilayah (district) in the Al Batinah Region of northern Oman. The city is located at 23°23′27″N 57°25′28″E23.39083°N 57.42444°E.
The wilayah of Rustaq is in the Western Hajar, in the south of the Batinah. Rustaq was once the capital of Oman, during the era of Imam Nasir bin Murshid al Ya'arubi. Rustaq fort, built four centuries prior to the dawn of Islam in Oman, is an imposing structure built on three levels, containing separate houses, an armoury, a mosque and four towers. The tallest tower stands over 18.5m high and has a diameter of 6m. Hazm Fort is an outstanding example of Omani Islamic architecture and was built in 1711 AD. The fort's roof is built on columns, and contains no wooden supports. Its walls can withstand great impact, at no less than 3m thick at any point.
Rustaq is an area of healing warm springs, the most notable being Ain al Kasafa. Its waters runs at 45°C and are regarded as a cure for rheumatism and skin diseases due to its sulphur content.

There are three popular wadis to visit: Wadi Bani Ghafar; Wadi al Sahtan and Wadi Bani Auf. In addition, the mountains are pitted with caves such as Al Sanaqha Cave with its own subterranean springs. One of the main occupations in Rustaq is beekeeping. Pure Omani honey is a most sought-after commodity and is of the highest quality. Fruits such as pomegranates, apricots, plums and grapes are grown on the foothills of the Akhdar Mountains and brought to Rustaq for sale.

The name of this town is a derived from the Middle Iranian, rustag, (Baluchi, Persian, Kumzari, etc.), New Iranian, 'rusta', meaning a 'large village.' The term is a cognate to other Indo-European tongues such as Latin, where 'rustica', means the same thing (whence the source for the English term, 'rustic' meaning old country style... or original old form...).

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 6th July 2013, 08:51 AM

Salaams all.. Should I discover something to the contrary I will be the first to report it !!

What appears to be a rather grainy picture ... it was e mailed to me ... but I shall attempt to get a better picture in due course.. in the top picture a dancing sword.. and lower a dancing sword with a fighting blade... The first I have ever encountered. Interestingly the enclave is near Rostaq ~ and the question in my mind was always why didnt some Old Omani Battle Swords get converted to dancing swords despite their total inability to vibrate in the flicked wrist as do dancing blades? The answer is here... they did ! or at least one did. According to the owner this is a stiff heavy blade whereas the top sword is flexible.

Here we have an Old Sayf Yamaani, The Old Omani Battle Sword dressed like a dancing Sayf.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Iain · 6th July 2013, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams all.. Should I discover something to the contrary I will be the first to report it !!

What appears to be a rather grainy picture ... it was e mailed to me ... but I shall attempt to get a better picture in due course.. in the top picture a dancing sword.. and lower a dancing sword with a fighting blade... The first I have ever encountered. Interestingly the enclave is near Rostaq ~ and the question in my mind was always why didnt some Old Omani Battle Swords get converted to dancing swords despite their total inability to vibrate in the flicked wrist as do dancing blades? The answer is here... they did ! or at least one did. According to the owner this is a stiff heavy blade whereas the top sword is flexible.

Here we have an Old Sayf Yamaani, The Old Omani Battle Sword dressed like a dancing Sayf.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

This isn't the first instance of these style mounts being found on solid fighting blades, over the last couple years on the various topics regarding these, I've pointed out plenty (trade blades, not the wider blade type seen here).

Your response at the time has been that these are then modern combinations for the tourist market because they'd be of no use within this style of mounts - but that's always seemed unlikely to some of us and this seems to validate the latter point of view.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 6th July 2013, 05:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Iain

This isn't the first instance of these style mounts being found on solid fighting blades, over the last couple years on the various topics regarding these, I've pointed out plenty (trade blades, not the wider blade type seen here).

Your response at the time has been that these are then modern combinations for the tourist market because they'd be of no use within this style of mounts - but that's always seemed unlikely to some of us and this seems to validate the latter point of view.

Salaams Iain ~ This is the first instance of a solidly stiff blade ..a fighting old Omani Battle Sword blade mounted on a dancing long hilt. In all the other instances of Sayfs (straight dancing swords)the blades have been flexible dancers or in the case of a few odd, what appear to be Red Sea variants, with stiff blades. None have the provenance European save a couple known to have been remounted in Muscat.

I reitterate that I have not handled the weapon yet but it belongs with a friend in Rostaq so I will no doubt get hold of the item soon enough. His description over the phone was that this one does not flex at all... and he realises it is a remount...

This is a completely one-off remount of an Old Omani Battle Sword blade and the only one I have ever seen. I show it as a curiousity rather than some break through in Omani Sword definition which it most certainly is not.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

20th June 2013, 05:35 PM	#3
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	The Old Omani Battle Sword. Salaams all~ Note to Library; The Old Omani Battle Sword ~ Sayf Yamaani ~ This one with some new work on the hilt using silver stitches and leather. Light wonky but will try to get a better shot later... Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi. Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 20th June 2013 at 05:54 PM.

22nd June 2013, 08:58 AM	#4
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Sayf Yamaani. Salaams all ~ Better Shot Later ~ What is quite interesting is that this sword came from Rostaq and belonged to a member of the Yaruba dynasty who essentially were the power who ejected the Portuguese in 1650 from Oman. They would probably have used swords like this to do the job... The Old Omani Battle Sword in place for 1261 years since 751 AD is the only true Omani Battle Sword and based on the Abbasiid weapon viewable at the Topkapi both compared by us at...#1. of this thread. I have checked the hilt which is octagonal and has the original two rivet holes and the third for a wrist strap. The blade is stiff, razor sharp and round tipped with wear at the sweet spot.. The sword was discovered whilst an old house in Rostaq was being demolished. The work on the leathered hilt was completed by an old silversmith in the past 3 months at Rostaq. The sword has the feeling of excalibur in an odd sort of way... I mean you pick it up and you're off to do battle immediately...Its a dragon slayer !! Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi. Notes; From Wikipedia.com Quote" Country; Oman. Region; Al Batinah Region. Rustaq (Arabic: الرستاق‎) is a town and wilayah (district) in the Al Batinah Region of northern Oman. The city is located at 23°23′27″N 57°25′28″E23.39083°N 57.42444°E. The wilayah of Rustaq is in the Western Hajar, in the south of the Batinah. Rustaq was once the capital of Oman, during the era of Imam Nasir bin Murshid al Ya'arubi. Rustaq fort, built four centuries prior to the dawn of Islam in Oman, is an imposing structure built on three levels, containing separate houses, an armoury, a mosque and four towers. The tallest tower stands over 18.5m high and has a diameter of 6m. Hazm Fort is an outstanding example of Omani Islamic architecture and was built in 1711 AD. The fort's roof is built on columns, and contains no wooden supports. Its walls can withstand great impact, at no less than 3m thick at any point. Rustaq is an area of healing warm springs, the most notable being Ain al Kasafa. Its waters runs at 45°C and are regarded as a cure for rheumatism and skin diseases due to its sulphur content. There are three popular wadis to visit: Wadi Bani Ghafar; Wadi al Sahtan and Wadi Bani Auf. In addition, the mountains are pitted with caves such as Al Sanaqha Cave with its own subterranean springs. One of the main occupations in Rustaq is beekeeping. Pure Omani honey is a most sought-after commodity and is of the highest quality. Fruits such as pomegranates, apricots, plums and grapes are grown on the foothills of the Akhdar Mountains and brought to Rustaq for sale. The name of this town is a derived from the Middle Iranian, rustag, (Baluchi, Persian, Kumzari, etc.), New Iranian, 'rusta', meaning a 'large village.' The term is a cognate to other Indo-European tongues such as Latin, where 'rustica', means the same thing (whence the source for the English term, 'rustic' meaning old country style... or original old form...). Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 22nd June 2013 at 06:11 PM.

6th July 2013, 08:51 AM	#5
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Battle Sword/Dancing Sword !! Salaams all.. Should I discover something to the contrary I will be the first to report it !! What appears to be a rather grainy picture ... it was e mailed to me ... but I shall attempt to get a better picture in due course.. in the top picture a dancing sword.. and lower a dancing sword with a fighting blade... The first I have ever encountered. Interestingly the enclave is near Rostaq ~ and the question in my mind was always why didnt some Old Omani Battle Swords get converted to dancing swords despite their total inability to vibrate in the flicked wrist as do dancing blades? The answer is here... they did ! or at least one did. According to the owner this is a stiff heavy blade whereas the top sword is flexible. Here we have an Old Sayf Yamaani, The Old Omani Battle Sword dressed like a dancing Sayf. Regards, Ibrahiim al Balooshi. Attached Images Last edited by Ibrahiim al Balooshi; 6th July 2013 at 09:05 AM.

28th February 2013, 05:26 PM	#1
Al Shamal Member Join Date: Oct 2012 Location: UAE Posts: 32	Richardson and Dorr Salam, Wow! I have a battle sword and i have the books by Richardson and Dorr....and I never saw the battle sword hiding in that image.....well spotted!!