A Nimcha

blue lander · 28th February 2014, 10:58 PM

Recently 3 or 4 Nimchas went up for auction and I was able to snag the cheapest and plainest of them. It's quite dirty and rusty and I'm still in the process of cleaning it, but I was wonder if anybody could comment on its age/origins.

One of the quillions has snapped off I assume a long time ago because the break has the same patina as the rest of the guard. The blade's thinner than I expected, but it does have a distal taper and flexes nicely. No markings on the blade. There are a few fairly deep dings in the blade towards the tip that I assume are from blade on blade contact.

kahnjar1 · 1st March 2014, 02:08 AM

Hi Blue Lander,
Looks to me like possible Moroccan origin, though I think Moroccan Nimcha usually have 4 quillons, two each edge of blade. Apart from that I can not tell you anything, but no doubt there will be other replies with more information.
Stuart

blue lander · 3rd March 2014, 12:22 AM

Interesting, thank you. I looked for any evidence of more snapped off quillions, but I only saw the one missing on the top.

Does anybody know how thick nimcha blades are typically, or do they vary?

blue lander · 3rd March 2014, 07:25 PM

Speaking of nimcha markings, here's pictures of two of the nimchas I didn't win. The first one, I assume, is a British blade from the reign of Queen Victoria (I wonder how that ended up in a nimcha), but I can't make heads or tails of the second one.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 5th March 2014, 03:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blue lander

Speaking of nimcha markings, here's pictures of two of the nimchas I didn't win. The first one, I assume, is a British blade from the reign of Queen Victoria (I wonder how that ended up in a nimcha), but I can't make heads or tails of the second one.

Salaams blue lander...I meant to reply earlier...Your two swords I suspect are Red Sea variants.. The details are both interesting though I know loads of swords were fitted in Yemen with Karabela hilts.. wrongly nicknamed by me as falcon heads despite the likeness...The squigles on the second blade look like an attempt to copy the Peter Munich style of decor.. see http://www.vikingsword.com/vb/showth...t=peter+munich
Blades of European provenance are commonly appearing now as Yemeni traders sell big lots in bulk to regional markets including the main souks of Oman and UAE.
The bladesmiths at Ras al Khaimah are famous for adding the VR Crown called locally "Taj" to any blade that has a vague chance of fetching a few extra dollars through its vague association with this design..

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

blue lander · 5th March 2014, 08:28 PM

Huh, I would have never thought that those marks were locally applied. Thank you. Do you have any thoughts on the unmarked nimcha on my first post? There are three or four delaminations on the blade by the fullers that make me think it wasn't European manufacture.

28th February 2014, 10:58 PM	#1
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	A Nimcha Recently 3 or 4 Nimchas went up for auction and I was able to snag the cheapest and plainest of them. It's quite dirty and rusty and I'm still in the process of cleaning it, but I was wonder if anybody could comment on its age/origins. One of the quillions has snapped off I assume a long time ago because the break has the same patina as the rest of the guard. The blade's thinner than I expected, but it does have a distal taper and flexes nicely. No markings on the blade. There are a few fairly deep dings in the blade towards the tip that I assume are from blade on blade contact. Attached Images Last edited by blue lander; 28th February 2014 at 11:52 PM.

3rd March 2014, 07:25 PM	#4
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Speaking of nimcha markings, here's pictures of two of the nimchas I didn't win. The first one, I assume, is a British blade from the reign of Queen Victoria (I wonder how that ended up in a nimcha), but I can't make heads or tails of the second one. Attached Images

1st March 2014, 02:08 AM	#2
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,741	Hi Blue Lander, Looks to me like possible Moroccan origin, though I think Moroccan Nimcha usually have 4 quillons, two each edge of blade. Apart from that I can not tell you anything, but no doubt there will be other replies with more information. Stuart

3rd March 2014, 12:22 AM	#3
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Interesting, thank you. I looked for any evidence of more snapped off quillions, but I only saw the one missing on the top. Does anybody know how thick nimcha blades are typically, or do they vary?

5th March 2014, 08:28 PM	#6
blue lander Member Join Date: Nov 2013 Posts: 456	Huh, I would have never thought that those marks were locally applied. Thank you. Do you have any thoughts on the unmarked nimcha on my first post? There are three or four delaminations on the blade by the fullers that make me think it wasn't European manufacture.