Nimcha for Comments and Musings on Nimchas

eftihis · 28th January 2021, 12:21 PM

I believe this sword was from the time of the siege of Malta.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1530

David R · 28th January 2021, 01:02 PM

Thank you for the link, some very interesting blades there, including what looks like a (pseudo) Shashka.
Which reminded me that during the 17th C English Civil War a captured crew of Barbary Pirates in Exeter Jail were made an offer they couldn't refuse... Fight for Parliament or be executed.
After the war those surviving were released to go home, and home was a lot of different places in the Muslim World. We know this because they were given the usual documents for released soldiery of the time which stated their home town/origin as by law they had to go by the most direct route.

TVV · 30th January 2021, 05:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by David R

Thank you for the link, some very interesting blades there, including what looks like a (pseudo) Shashka.

I believe this is simply a nimcha with a yataghan style hilt. While the nimcha style hilt was prevalent (in all its early variations), some preferred other hilt types. Claude shows a yataghan hilted example in his book as well.

TVV · 29th January 2021, 03:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by eftihis

I believe this sword was from the time of the siege of Malta.
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1530

The Great Siege of Malta was all the way back in 1565. As far as I am aware, there are no trophies collected from the Ottomans during those events that have indisputable provenance. Only one of the swords in the Armory in Valletta is attributed to Turgut Reis, but considering that he was killed by stone debris from a cannon ball that hit near him deep into the Ottoman positions, it is unlikely that the Knights would have gotten the opportunity to retrieve anything from his body (Spiteri, the author of the only modern published catalogue of the collection expresses his doubts as well). It is very hard to link any sword directly to the Siege of Malta or even to that period.

That being said, you have a fantastic sword Eftihis. It is clearly old and unique due to the baskethilt.

28th January 2021, 12:21 PM	#1
eftihis Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Chania Crete Greece Posts: 512	I believe this sword was from the time of the siege of Malta. http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=1530 Attached Images

28th January 2021, 01:02 PM	#2
David R Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Posts: 1,129	Thank you for the link, some very interesting blades there, including what looks like a (pseudo) Shashka. Which reminded me that during the 17th C English Civil War a captured crew of Barbary Pirates in Exeter Jail were made an offer they couldn't refuse... Fight for Parliament or be executed. After the war those surviving were released to go home, and home was a lot of different places in the Muslim World. We know this because they were given the usual documents for released soldiery of the time which stated their home town/origin as by law they had to go by the most direct route.