Arabian swords

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Michael Blalock

Welcome Ibrahim, These are fascinating swords to me, as is the whole tradition of straight swords with flexible blades in South Arabia. I have not been able to find any contact information at the museum in Yemen to ask about this sword. I've searched in English and Arabic.
I haven't had much luck contacting museums in Oman either. Perhaps you can help me on some questions, I have gotten very few hits in Arabic on what we call the Kattara, الكتارة in fact I have only seen one page in Arabic that uses this term. Is الكتارةthe name that Omani's use for these swords?

Kattara yes... I put too many R s in my last reply..

I am hugely interested in this weapon since no one seems to really know where it originates ... Im no exception despite owning 30 of them!! but I reckon they eveolved via Zanzibar after 1652 since that was when Oman seized that country so I imagine it came into Omani culture around about then. . via a broad cross section of swords Taureg, Mendingah, German,Sudani, Ethiopian and so on ... What puzzles me is if Im right what sword did it replace? The Omani short battle sword? or perhaps they had two swords both being used for a few hundred years by different little guard groups and outposts until the long sword generally took over... In fact there were several sword types including single edge both long and short..but Im generalising so as to focus on the short battle sword and the long Kattara ... It is fascinating because you then begin to think well what about the shields... ??? The Kattara is accompanied by the small Buckler(Terrs) but what did the short sword use?