Old Nimcha for Info and to share

[TVV]

The materials used are not necessarily a good indicator of age. There are some great rhino hilt examples from the 19th century. The shape of the grip and the guard are more important. Yours are both typical of Moroccan swords from the 19th century. Fortunately, there are a lot of pictures from the 19th centuries of this type of hilt, as well as examples captured by the French and the Spanish in their colonial military conflicts in the area following the Berlin Congress. I am attaching some Spanish trophies. If those were from the Rif War, it would date them to the 1920s.

[JoeCanada42]

thanks for more input, Those are very nice swords, TVV, with what looks like Rhino , prestige prizes i would think, while my sword appears less fancy to put it nicely, which makes me think maybe the user was more likely to be carrying an older sword.

i did see many with similar bone handles as mine and i could attach a photo, again a much nicer sword.

[Jim McDougall]

I have always found the 'Maghrebi' sa'if (known as nimchas) fascinating and attractive swords. Teodor (TVV) has studied these probably more than anyone else I know and frankly I have learned a great deal on them from his insights and Kubur's well placed agreement on his comments I agree with as well.

As has been noted, there is little evidence of this hilt form prior to very late 16th century, early 17th. The hilt form probably evolved from Italian forms of the 16th century and diffused through the Arab trade spheres.

The term Maghrebi includes both Morocco and Algeria, where these swords prevailed, and were used by many tribal factions and groups, many of which were of course part of the Berber confederations. They were assembled with varied components following the traditional form hilt and typically with trade blades from various sources.

The reason the 19th century date assessment is most reasonable is that this period is that these were traditionally made up, often remounting older blades, and most recognized and had provenance to the colonial periods, as Teodor has noted.

The notes and suggestions on the symbols and decoration are most interesting, but typically these are most often aesthetically applied in these kinds of contexts. It is always tempting to seek symbolic imbuement on these ethnographic forms, and in some cases (as on the flyssa) they do exist, but not in those on this sword in my opinion.

The 'red numbers' on this example seem to me to correspond to such numbers from museum or collection markings.

The often 'lesser' quality of many of these 'nimchas' does not disqualify them as genuine tribal weapons, as these were still kept and worn traditionally by men in more recent times. Much of the character of these remounted weapons were reliant on the skills and access too materials of the person doing the work.

Attached is my example of nimcha which believe is of course 19th c. probably c.1830s? with the 'tear drop' effect quillon terminals.

[JoeCanada42]

Nice Sword Jim, Gold embellishment near the hilt? i have seen others done with gold or silver. I was curious if my sword was missing that small piece, maybe someone sold it for scrap if it ever had a piece like that.. not shure what that piece is called.

I cleaned the peace of metal on my scabbard, and i wonder what its made out of? gold gilded silver, or just fancy colored brass..

I found a Website http://ageaeditora.com/en/nimcha-616/

where they have a Nimcha Very similar to mine.

this is what they say about date :
We can´t offer an exact dating of the piece as there is no documentary record of it´s entry in the museum. However, due to it´s geographical origin and that It´s entrance in the museum´s collection is previous to 1898 (start date of publication of the newsletter of the Commision of Monuments), we can suppose this is a sword manufactured in the 19th century. For this reason Is not too far fetched to suppose that it was used in the North African colonial wars of the second and third quarter of the 19th century. It could be a war spoil or have been purchased as a souvenir.

[JoeCanada42]

here is the peice of metal on the scabbard after i cleaned it.

it is very similar to many Berber symbols, some for protection against the evil eye.

the symbol on the blade, the squiggly line, doesn't seem much like a decoration being a simple squiggly line in the center of actual floral decorations.

i have also found the squiggly line in Berber as a symbol for metal workers, and a symbol for the snake, a masculine symbol.

when i wield the sword, i really get the impression they were put there for a imbuement purpose.

[Jim McDougall]

Thank you Joe, it is interesting looking into these sabers which we know as 'nimcha' , but are actually simply termed in the Arab world, sa'if. As shown by Charles Buttin (1933), these Arab sabers are simply known by this term in the many regions they occur in which extended throughout those in the Arab trade and colonial spheres.

It is well known that forms of this type sword became as some point, the collecting community began to regard a certain hilt style with a ring on the guard as a 'Zanzibar' version. We have discovered, that as these same hilts were regarded by Buttin, one of the foremost authorities of his time, as 'Arab sa'if' collectively with these more well known types.
This example (illustrated) is one of these 'zanzibar nimchas' and was apparently among a grouping of these (about 40) acquired in Yemen in the 80s. These were among weapons presumed for use in the ongoing civil unrest in those regions.
Note the triple cross markings on the blade, which seem among the many spurious copies of presumably European markings found on many trade blades.

The next example I add here is an earlier type blade, which is more the falchion types with flared tip which would have been used on sabers perhaps even of those seen at Malta and Lepanto (though this blade is not quite that early). The hilting on this is of the 'karabela' style which comes from Ottoman form of late 16th century and became well known in Turkish and Iraqi areas into Europe.
As seen in "Arms and Armour of Arabia" (Robert Elgood, 1994) these remained in use traditionally well into the 20th century, and much as the form seen in the OP here which certainly found use with the notorious Barbary pirates.....these were used notably by pirates in Muscati regions in Arabia.

As discussed, much earlier blades were often rehilted as they changed hands and in accord with traditionally held design through not only generations, but centuries. As these were typically more ersatz weapons for rank and file, many almost munitions grade, the higher quality of those for higher station persons was obviously more prevalent.
The gold metal band at the base of the grip on the hilt is simply a bolster (not sure of Arabic term) and perhaps approximates the wire wrap on Islamic shamshirs. While decorative, this may have once had pragmatic value in strengthening hilt in cutting blows.

[JoeCanada42]

Very Cool Info Thanks Jim,
So maybe all Nimchas Are "Arab" saifs, but all Arab saifs are not Nimchas?
That one sword you posted with the Karabela Cross gaurd and wood Handle also more Karabela Shaped. if it was acquired elsewhere would it still be called Nimcha? I dont get how that specific sword is called a Nimcha, Maybe a Saif, but isnt Saif just a broad category word Like Saber.,,, In my Interpretation Nimcha or small sword, is what i would call a Hangar, like a small pirate sword.

and it would look primitive like a pirate sword, like the sword you posted with the crosses on the blade, The more elaborate gold embellished swords aren't really as small swords, and are more Arab styled , Sabre sized, Saif..

just my opinion