The Omani Battle Sword. Sayf Yamaani.

[Iain]

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]

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.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams All ~The Omani Battle Sword. Amazing blade marks ... Please be advised that an amazing blade (pictures) are currently with me and the owner has very kindly allowed me to publish. Which I will do as soon as I can figure out how !
Note that the quillons are broken off ... This weapon has a scabbard whos picture may follow soon.. The weapon was purchased (Mutrah) thence went to Australia 30 or more years ago. I seem to see inlay metal in the tail of the animal however I shall report back after speaking with the owner. (Latten inlay ?)

The areas of concern are:
1. What is the animal configuration Dog(Perillo Spain), Wolf(Passau German) or Lion (Arabian)?
2. What is the apparent armoury roundel stamp Arabian (Mamluke?) or European ?
3. What is the significance of the apparent Star Of David ?
4. What is the other stamp?
5. Is this a refitted blade or original?
6. Are these original blade marks or copied on... locally?

Ah ...pictures ... got it ! Here goes....

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all Note to Forum. Added detail to above post ; The purchase date is nearer 1990. There is no latten inlay in any of the stamps. The star form (Islamic) is the Star of Solomon form. The Hilt; although the Quillons are missing is an Omani Battle Sword Classic... what may be questionable is the blade. I am trying to determine its flexibility. Is it a refitted dancing blade?

The scabbard details underline the Omani Battle Sword status being of the right nature and format. What is quite amazing(to me) is the style and size...about two inches square... the Lion/Wolf... I favour Lion since its tail is of that style and it has huge claws.

What is also interesting is the roundel since we know that full moons are not Islamic (it is the other moons that attract such meaning) but what is significant about roundels is their attachment to Mamluk style as the mark of ownership..by a man of the pen (as opposed to a man of the sword). The round face ... its eyes are inkwells depicting a penbox. The lips of the face are perhaps the two separate legs of pantaloons... often illustrated thus on Mamluk insignia. More on that later.

I have noted that silver wire is hammered into the Pommel as in some other hilts of Omani Battle Swords. The octagonal hilt is very visible as are the three hilt holes; the top hole being for the wrist strap. The second pin is a later addition as they are flat headed rivvets rather than pin headed. The hand tooling to the scabbard is typical for this mark.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all ~ A full flex test has been carried out and the sword is declared stiff ... thus it is not a dancing sword blade refit ... but in fact a real Omani Battle Sword..

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Iain]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams all ~ A full flex test has been carried out and the sword is declared stiff ... thus it is not a dancing sword blade refit ... but in fact a real Omani Battle Sword..

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

If this was purchased in 1990 why aren't you ascribing the same attribution of recent merger of parts as you've done with many blades of a similar nature fitted to the newer style hilt.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Iain

If this was purchased in 1990 why aren't you ascribing the same attribution of recent merger of parts as you've done with many blades of a similar nature fitted to the newer style hilt.

Salaams Iain, Because I have looked long and hard at the components i.e. The Blade, The Hilt and the Scabbard and have decided that they are all correct for this style. Obviously the hilt needs little further discussion even though the quillons are broken off...The Scabbard is correct .... That leaves the blade.

There aren't any European marks on it like Solingen or other strikes and the 3 markings appear to be Islamic. The Lion, the circular stamp and the Star of Solomon being either makers, owners or locally applied. Even if the animal stamp/ engraving is after a European mark (perhaps the Passau wolf) it is clearly applied in Arabia.

Purchase date has nothing to do with age and so far as I can see this has little comparison to the dancing blade conundrum nor refits of that blade to other hilts...The entire business of dancing swords and hilt switching is almost totally unrelated to the Old Omani Battle Sword but naturally coming from Muttrah Souk it got my full attention from the fake/blade and hilt switchover angle. Quite literally in or up to about 1990 few people considered the older weapon and they could be got for almost nothing. It is only in the last few years that people have realised their worth even though their provenance has been wrongly attributed down the ages as 16th, 10th, Portuguese and recently of the Saladin type. At Forum I believe we have placed this weapon correctly from the first Imam of Oman period of 751 a.d. and unchanged until today.


I have had a bend test conducted by a very savvy technically excellent individual (I am in possession of the bend test diagrams) and am satisfied it is stiff in all respects.. even though it has 3 short fullers (some have fullers some don't) it is in my view an Omani Battle Blade and since I have probably handled more of these than any other person thus I think I have a good idea of what is and what is not correct for type; Its the real deal.

The only other blade of note that I know of cross fitted to an Old Omani Battle Hilt is the Solingen example clearly stamped SOLINGEN crossed with an Old Omani Battle Sword hilt in Muttrah by a known hilt switch workshop a few years ago.. but that is well recorded here by me on Forum and I even know the current owner. There is a blade at #36 which is peculiar in that it seems to be a battle blade on a dancing hilt and though interesting it is still under revue though as soon as I can get to Rostaq I will attempt to solve that mystery..

Regarding the sword here; I know the store from which this weapon came and although it closed some years ago I have photographs of it and the store owners owners who were well known. They had no reputation as hilt switchers. The owners of this weapon are also known to me.

Please advise if you think I am missing something here as amongst the Forums most esteemed members there are few with the expertise such as yours in this field and your knowledge is much admired.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.