Polish Nimcha
 

Just ended.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...4412&rd=1&rd=1
Ah, the allure of anything called "Polish Karabela"!
Nice South Arabian Nimcha: the real Nimcha, not the Moroccan one, but straight from Elgood.
But... no connection with Turkish or Polish origin, despite what the new owner may wish to believe :)

Nice - would have been great to see the original scabbard. :(

Just as Ariel has noted, nothing to do with Turkish or Polish karabelas, nor shamshirs for that matter. I agree this is indeed an Arabian 'nimcha' and seems relatively recently refurbished, with some age on the blade, which does seem consistant in form with the trade blades often seen on these.

The hilt form does have a stylized association to the karabela hilts, and these had a degree of popularity in Arabia especially , again as Ariel has observed, in the south.

Best regards,
Jim

In considering this sword further, it seems that the 'karabela' hilt form was prevalent in southern regions of Arabia such as Hadramaut, where Elgood shows examples of silver repousse mounted saif were favored. He also notes examples of cutlass type nimcha which had heavy, widened tip blades and it seems these favored the 'karabela' type hilt, though it seems the bolster at the neck if the hilt would have been wire wrapped instead of a solid sleeve.

While this example seems more recently refurbished, the blade form seems consistant with earlier trade examples of the type often seen on the nimchas typically associated with Zanzibar manufacture for export to Yemen. the three stars or often three crosses seem frequent stamps. Can anyone note other blades with these triple stamps, ideas on the significance?

Best regards,
Jim