Omani kattara

[Andrew]

Everyone:

This thread will not become another acrimonious "debate" regarding the use of these swords. State your positions and move on, please.

Andrew
Vikingsword Staff

[A.alnakkas]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Everyone:

This thread will not become another acrimonious "debate" regarding the use of these swords. State your positions and move on, please.

Andrew
Vikingsword Staff

I very much respect your order and would follow it. But we are being bombarded with false information and lies about a rather prestigious field of arms. It only appropriate that we counter this false information.

I have gained permission to share some pieces. These are all private collections:

Here are saifs with European marks.

[A.alnakkas]

Old iron hilted swords. These are still worn to this day in weddings. But the old hilts would be given leather/silver dress.

[A.alnakkas]

Kattaras (they call all curved swords; kattaras in Oman.)

[A.alnakkas]

for the iron hilted saifs, I had doubts about one of the swords which had an Ethiopian blade. The patina and rust is even though, on the blade and the hilt and the owner commented that Ethiopian blades (I was surprised by his knowledge of the blades origin, where he spoke about an Armenian dealer importing it) were also used in Oman for a time longer than expected. Though I have also found many rehilts, including tulwar blades rehilted as kattaras but those are easy to tell apart.

I have also examined plenty of the new Omani stuff. A dancing sword with no silver sells from 8 riyals to 15 riyals. Which should be about 38 dollars. Its now sold online by a rather suspicious site for a wooping 1500$ dollars and offered as the authentic Omani arms.

Disgraceful, really.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

Kattaras (they call all curved swords; kattaras in Oman.)

Salaams, This is my friends shop in the Muttrah Souk... Tariq.

The blade is a probable rehilt. What they do is extend the tang and add a pommel. The hilt is then applied Omani Kattara style. Other than that I cannot and must not reveal the other secrets surrounding this sword and other Omani variants but once completed all shall be made clear.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[A.alnakkas]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams, This is my friends shop in the Muttrah Souk... Tariq.

The blade is a probable rehilt. What they do is extend the tang and add a pommel. The hilt is then applied Omani Kattara style. Other than that I cannot and must not reveal the other secrets surrounding this sword and other Omani variants but once completed all shall be made clear.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

Yes its indeed Tariq's shop. Who happened not to know you, Ibrahim alBaloushi from Alburaimi, owns a shop, has a hypothesis about Omani swords? doesnt ring a bell. No offence is intended. Everything was once a rehilt, its more of an issue whether it was used by its last culture or was made specifically for the purpose of selling to tourists. Its a world different.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

Yes its indeed Tariq's shop. Who happened not to know you, Ibrahim alBaloushi from Alburaimi, owns a shop, has a hypothesis about Omani swords? doesnt ring a bell. No offence is intended. Everything was once a rehilt, its more of an issue whether it was used by its last culture or was made specifically for the purpose of selling to tourists. Its a world different.

Salaams A.alnakkas, Well of course he knows me...He is my cousin !

I suppose the confusion is understandable in the blades ... This is largely connected to the truck loads of imported blades that came in from Ethiopia via Yemen ... My thread refers... but you must be aware that you were right there in the absolute pinnacle position standing staring right at the master forger... You couldnt get much closer... There you were talking to the man who since 1970 (and his Father) who are solely responsible for the incredible fiasco surrounding the entire game of hilt and rehilt, of import and export, of illusion and fact ...

Thousands of blades have gone through that workshop and out into the world to the point that an entirely fictional weapon has surfaced... I think it is incredible, amazing and utterly unbelievable. The (almost) entire ethnographic fraternity has been ...tricked??...mislead? wrong footed? ... and you were standing in front of the mystro...and like many other ethnographic specialists you have been well and truly given the treatment... down to his private collection...

He has some great weapons ...mostly rehilts and has even a few museum pieces... I mean ...rehilts in Museums.... So if he has fooled museums it is no wonder he has sold loads to others....

So now that you have seen the light.. I hope... do you see the truth....or not?

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

Old iron hilted swords. These are still worn to this day in weddings. But the old hilts would be given leather/silver dress.

Salaams... Point of order... This is my favourite sword style... It is the Sayf Yamaani...THe Old Omani Battle Sword and it looks remarkably like the collection of the souk shop owner ...in your following post... You should understand that this is the Old Omani Battle Sword ...probably the original sword was made in Yemen...Hadramaut.

This is the killing weapon which my hypothesis places very far back ... to the 8th Century.... It has its own thread at The Old Omani Battle Sword...The on ein the middle is a special... It came in to the souk owners hand recently and he rehilted it. The blade is German for the Ethiopian market... thence to Sanaa Yemen and onward to Oman where ... The Shop Owner ..rehilted it. Very recently. Some of these variants and similar styles and some with purely German blades even got hoodwinked into some very important collections so good was the work...If you PM me I will even disclose to you how this happened and who did the work...and in which collection they can be discovered... It wasnt me....but I know exactly who did it !!

Without giving too much away do you notice any similarities with the Omani Sayf in this historic masterpiece?? You will find a few clues on my thread on all these swords... The Sayf Yamaani, The Omani Dancing Sword and ...The Omani Kattara. Naturally since this entire subject is under review by our research team it cannot be placed on Forum but I shall advise when it is ready... Meanwhile thank you for posting the pictures which are most helpful . I have access to a collection of 25 such weapons ...and of course since the collection you show is well known to me as the owner is a personal friend... it is also in our domain to study. He actually thought these were Saladin influenced... whereas we suggest much earlier.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

I very much respect your order and would follow it. But we are being bombarded with false information and lies about a rather prestigious field of arms. It only appropriate that we counter this false information.

I have gained permission to share some pieces. These are all private collections:

Here are saifs with European marks.

Salaams...A.alnakkas These are swords that have the mark copied of the Passau Wolf. They are fine examples of the Omani Straight Sayf/Saif.
Enough said for now about those since it is up to the individual how they perceive what they were used for... For now; An agreement to disagree... By the way I am not a liar so please withdraw the remark to which I draw the attention of the Moderators.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi