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Originally Posted by kahnjar1
........this one.....and rotated to show the right way up........the subject sword is now third from left.
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The point being that this sword now unfolds as present in at least two museums Istanbul Military and a Yemeni Military exhibit though the more basic forms at Project #1 etc appear as later forms of the same/ similar design. Late 18th -Mid 19th C ? The clear links however with a much earlier style indicate Ottoman, Mamluke and Abassiid roots, potential links to Omani forms both battle and dancing swords and a rethink on the Old Omani Battle Sword in the light of the weapon at Istanbul Military Museum ..and the Forum discussion so far... It is certainly a twisting and turning development.
If you look at the form of the sword style of the previous photo number 10 of #11 at the Istanbul Museum
http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showthread.php?t=314 you will see how close the blade is to the Mamluke style and where the sword begins to shape up in the relationship to what we are now looking at ... and with an eye on the Wallace type assessed as appearing in the late 1700s as a highly ornate badge of office for an important Persian dignatory and said to be of Cairo manufacture utilizing an Arabized German blade. In unearthing the truth behind the project sword we may also be poised to take on the Wallace supposition of provenance on their exhibit which is very interesting indeed.
In the thread "Kattara for comments" you will also discover that I made a comparison with the Mamluke and the old Omani Battle Sword, however, it may be that the sword I should have also compared was the project sword... as well... In this case a redraw may be required in which an even bigger and more obvious comparison is required between the two clearly similar hilt formations... The Long Metalic Red Sea Sword and The Omani Battle Sword. Both originating in pre Mamluke (Abassiid) and permeating the Ottoman Style and cunningly until now flying under the radar but now on the workbench as a very interesting discussion ... as a Yemeni Variant possibly from the Habaabi region that before about 1920 was Yemen and is now in Saudi Arabia.
As a sideline but equally related is the obvious similarity in long broadsword type between the Omani dancing sword and this Project weapon (weapon as opposed to dancing sword since its a stiff blade) Could it be that the Omani dancing sword evolved from this ... It has a long hilt that could concievably have morphed into what we recognise as the Long Omani Hilt... on both the straight Omani Sayf and curved Kattara.
It poses these broader questions which will now unravel. Bring it on !!
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.