Ethnographic Arms & Armour
 

Go Back   Ethnographic Arms & Armour > Discussion Forums > Ethnographic Weapons

Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
Old 3rd March 2010, 11:04 PM   #1
ariel
Member
 
ariel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 5,503
Default That is the real Nimcha!

Just ended.
As per Elgood, this is what a real Nimcha looks like.
And the blade is laminated, to boot!
Attached Images
  
ariel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th March 2010, 12:02 AM   #2
Gavin Nugent
Member
 
Gavin Nugent's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,818
Default Did you give it a go!!

Thats a very nice blade there Ariel, did you win it or at least have a go at it??

Gav
Gavin Nugent is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th March 2010, 01:30 AM   #3
Dom
Member
 
Dom's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Paris (FR*) Cairo (EG)
Posts: 1,142
Default

Hi Fox
you said ; "As per Elgood, this is what a real Nimcha"
... as far as my knowledge a Nimcha is a single-handed sword from northwestern Africa, especially Morocco, no ?
these swords could bear strong resemblances to the neighboring Arab saif or from Mozambique

As per as your picture that nice sword looks more "Qilich style" or might be a "Qilich-Shamiya style" at least
but as "Nimcha" I'm realy surprise, and .... I should need a training

à +

Dom
Dom is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th March 2010, 01:35 AM   #4
Rick
Vikingsword Staff
 
Rick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,259
Default

This really begs the question .
No ?
Attached Images
 
Rick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 4th March 2010, 03:16 AM   #5
Jim McDougall
Arms Historian
 
Jim McDougall's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Route 66
Posts: 9,719
Default

A great looking blade with the interesting expanded tip, which in effect is of the yelman tipped sabres of Turkic ancestry and this one looks very similar to the example in "Arms & Armour of Arabia" (Elgood, p.10, fig. 2.1). The one illustrated has the 'karabela' style hilt, and the blade is described as 17th-18th century.
The example shown by Rick illustrates that these expanded tip blades were well known in the maritime sphere of the Arabs from SE Asia to North Africa, with hilts reflecting local taste.

These blades were often remounted many times in thier working lives, and it is hard to say what style hilt might have been on this blade in earlier times. The hilt on this is clearly Ottoman of course and latter 19th century...it is interesting to see the upward swept quillons. The old blade has the partial dentated semi circle used by native smiths recalling trade blade marks of the 'sickle marks' of Styria and the Caucusus.

As far as the term 'nimcha'....it has of course become loosely applied to the Moroccan multiquilloned hilt swords of the 17th-20th century, apparantly somewhat incorrectly . Elgood notes that the term actually means nim =half and sha is also diminutive, suggesting it refers to a smaller type sword (many of the blades such as seen with this example are actually relatively small).
The Moroccan swords are typically mounted with all manner of full length trade blades, with many actually straight backsword types, so the term becomes confusing literally, however now commonly used by collectors.
From what I have understood, much like the 'kaskara' in Sudanese regions (a term unknown in the Sudan), these swords are termed locally as sa'if, the Arabic term for sword, and as Lee once so eloquently noted, were 'not otherwise specified'.

This 'nimcha' with what appears later Ottoman hilt may well have been remounted in third quarter 19th century with Ottoman reconquests in al Hasa and the Yemen

Intriguing blade with lots of character, and no doubt history to go with it.


All best regards,
Jim
Jim McDougall is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th March 2010, 03:29 AM   #6
ariel
Member
 
ariel's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Ann Arbor, MI
Posts: 5,503
Smile

Well, gentlemen, please look at this one
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...ghlight=nimcha
that I posted quite some time ago.

Reminds you of something?
ariel is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 5th March 2010, 03:44 AM   #7
Rick
Vikingsword Staff
 
Rick's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2004
Posts: 6,259
Default

A cut down version of what you show in this thread ?
The fuller ends quite closely to the blade tip; this seems unusual on its own .
Rick is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 12th February 2013, 02:53 PM   #8
Gess
Member
 
Gess's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Russia, Moscow
Posts: 44
Default

I will lift up an old topic
Arsenal Palace of the Grand Master, Malta, early 16th century.
Attached Images
 
Gess is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13th February 2013, 08:25 AM   #9
Gess
Member
 
Gess's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: Russia, Moscow
Posts: 44
Default

Blade - the invention of the "Pirates of the Berber coast" many years the owners Mediterranean, later collected Barbarossa to the Ottomans. And of course, Nimcha - the correct name of a respected Ariel.
Pirat Nimcha

Last edited by Gess; 13th February 2013 at 08:41 AM.
Gess is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 13th February 2013, 04:31 PM   #10
stephen wood
Member
 
stephen wood's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Posts: 227
Default

...some early nimcha or similar swords.
Attached Images
  
stephen wood is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 16th February 2013, 12:02 PM   #11
Iain
Member
 
Iain's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Olomouc
Posts: 1,680
Default

Great images - thanks for posting them Stephen. These sort of depictions are invaluable and really do give a sense for how far back some of these forms dates.
Iain is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 12:14 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Posts are regarded as being copyrighted by their authors and the act of posting material is deemed to be a granting of an irrevocable nonexclusive license for display here.