Odd Sword

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by A.alnakkas

I know the owner of this sword, he have sent me photos before and not much was found in the inscription by people whom I asked to examine. Will ask him again for clearer photos if he still owns it. Although there is nothing unusual about it, its part of a well established sword type that mainly has trade blades and Omani mounts.

Nothing unusual about it? I think it is extremely unusual. The tang extension, the blade, the pommel decoration, the blade marks. In fact it is the most unusual sword I have ever seen. I doubt you know the owner but... my suspicion is that this has been sourced out of the situation in Mutrah. The claim was that this was purchased in Yemen. It may well have been and in addition it may have been altered in Mutrah. It looks Portuguese.

There are trade blades from 1970 in the world sword system which were instigated through Mutrah from Ethiopia via Sanaa...til today ~ This could be from the same source.

The straight Omani dancing bladed sword or Sayf(Saif) (not to be confused with the Old Omani Battle Sword we are discussing here) which was inspired by Said the Great in the early part of the 19th Century is essentially hugely flexible and homegrown so far as I can see; purely in Oman. It is a dancing sword/and to hail the ruler/pageantry item/sword only. Many thousand straight blades have been through the hands of the Mutrah workshops in the past 45 years and have totally confused and conned most of the international sword collectors serious and incidental... Said the Great of old would probably be laughing about that...as we do here in Oman now.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.