My first Nimcha

[fennec]

Originally Posted by serdar

Didnt that style with half ring on a side originated from italy? And from them into maroco and algeria?
Below are pictures of italian sword from the end of 14 century with councile of ten marking from private collection, a photo from museum of Florence, and a photo of a sword from Perast, all italian made with tracable and documented history.

AGREED ! That what lead my last searches on the subject, that confirms those theories about an italian origin of the nimcha, for its guard, and maybe also the handle shape by inspiration, mix of cultures etc . because actually, nothing POPED in Italy like that... if venetians ans genoese where precursors in many shapes, styles, for blades and also mountings, it is firt of all because of their inspiration BY OTHER cultures they trade with for centuries... so, everything is a "circle"...).

Then, I dont think the nimcha is a direct inspiration like "oh see, those nice italian renessance sword, lets make some cheapest ones"... But more by use. Let me explain. Personnally, I think that nimchas where firstly navy swords (even the modern "meanings" of the term lead to a short sword). I think those are herited from an era where a LOT OF people from every culture, was sometimes fighting each others, sometimes trading, sometimes even attackng other boats together (remember that the algerian fleet, yes, fleet, not "pirates".. haha, actually the most feared in mediteranean see even before ottoman era /many attacks on spain etc/ was with ottomans, much more various, as many european corsairs with european members on the boat). I think that the nimcha is an "improvisation" of making the "perfect tool" for a new kind of war, in a new battlefield (the war : "the corso", the battlefield : "the see", new warfare : "boarding a boat is more interesting than canonning it.. much more money.. etc). And those points are usually what lead to a new weapon in military history, adding to mixity of cultures, external inspiration, or the willing to find how to "defeat" that "external" opponent, etc etc.
SO, for me, the storta, and other kind of italian/autrian/german sword of beginning of renaissance are clearly an inspiration. And there is a lot of chance that those where themselves inspired by some ottoman swords (kilij, pala), that was also inspired by asia (dao etc) etc etc... (stortas and those kind of swords LIKE THE BLADES that was mount on the most ancient algerian navy nimcha, are from Styrie as everyone knows, just in front of ottoman... a reason why Grace became one of the biggest sword production point).

AS ALGERIANS : remember that Kheireddine Barbarrossa the albanian ottoman, became algerian (lol, yeah, mix of cultures, here it is..) by helping algerians against spanish that was destroying the east after the reconquista. We have some engravings/paintings of that man, his brothers, or the first janissaries that came with him, having italian sword like, like falchions, or even rapier style swords, but giving what could be the firts inspiration for nimchas, like thin quillons guards. Here is a picture to illustrate. I know the sword on the picture could look far from a nimcha, but this is same era, same area, and same kind of spirit (noblesman swords) than many others that gives the exact same guard than a nimcha (like italians stortas for ex).

[fennec]

Concerning this model I cant find something very algerian here...
I mean, close style but not same. Never gems on algerian guards (sometimes a bit of coral on quillon tips, but thats it), and not as much on a handle.
I really dont know whats is that sword, if its actually italian, it could be a good way to understand inspirations... But still have to determind an age, because if it is something that is sometimes hard to accept for us europeans (even for me...) is that algerian (or north afrian, and widely the world..) could also have inspired such models, by the "legend" of algerian pirates at this era throught europe, or even the willing to have a sword like those tooken from algerian shipman, as the one of Tromp, De Ruyter, etc.