Zanzibar dagger?

Jim McDougall · 10th November 2006, 12:37 AM

Hi Ariel,
In research several years ago I discovered that these distinctively hilted weapons (believed to derive from the European baselard) actually are Moroccan s'boula, and have typically been termed 'Zanzibar' swords from the reference in Burton's 'Book of the Sword". Apparantly his reference was in turn taken from an error in the earlier work of Demmin, and the error is noted in the work of Charles Buttin. Much of this was the subject of my paper several years ago, but of course there remain differing views. In my paper I explained that there may have easily been diffusion of these weapons across trans Saharan trade routes, via Ethiopia (the Falasha connection

and ultimately to Zanzibar via slave trade routes that entered regions enroute.

All the best,
Jim

10th November 2006, 12:37 AM	#8
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,191	Hi Ariel, In research several years ago I discovered that these distinctively hilted weapons (believed to derive from the European baselard) actually are Moroccan s'boula, and have typically been termed 'Zanzibar' swords from the reference in Burton's 'Book of the Sword". Apparantly his reference was in turn taken from an error in the earlier work of Demmin, and the error is noted in the work of Charles Buttin. Much of this was the subject of my paper several years ago, but of course there remain differing views. In my paper I explained that there may have easily been diffusion of these weapons across trans Saharan trade routes, via Ethiopia (the Falasha connection and ultimately to Zanzibar via slave trade routes that entered regions enroute. All the best, Jim