Zanzibar Nimchas, a More In-Depth Discussion

TVV · 22nd June 2023, 07:27 AM

One of the mysteries of the Omani/East African nimchas is the general lack of markings. I have seen a few with marks, but they are still less than 10% of the total I have seen. On top of that, almost always the rare marks you find on them are not European or in imitation of European marks.

This is even more puzzling when compared to the other 19th century swords that were used alongside the nimchas - the kattaras and the guardless, conical hilt saifs. These other swords are almost always extensively marked and the marks tend to be European or copies thereof.

It appears that either the blades were kept unmarked or any marks were ground out on purpose. Why, I have no idea. Interestingly, this seems to be true of only Oman, Zanzibar and the Comoros, because the Yemeni versions tend to have all kinds of imported blades with their markings.

22nd June 2023, 07:27 AM	#13
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,660	One of the mysteries of the Omani/East African nimchas is the general lack of markings. I have seen a few with marks, but they are still less than 10% of the total I have seen. On top of that, almost always the rare marks you find on them are not European or in imitation of European marks. This is even more puzzling when compared to the other 19th century swords that were used alongside the nimchas - the kattaras and the guardless, conical hilt saifs. These other swords are almost always extensively marked and the marks tend to be European or copies thereof. It appears that either the blades were kept unmarked or any marks were ground out on purpose. Why, I have no idea. Interestingly, this seems to be true of only Oman, Zanzibar and the Comoros, because the Yemeni versions tend to have all kinds of imported blades with their markings.