Kattara for comments

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

KATTARA TYPE 2. (i.e.the rest).
Picture with white hilt shows an actual Persian Shamshir for comparison.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Hawksheads. (Nimcha) Known elsewhere as Karabela. In Oman because it is curved it simply gets the Kattara sticker though even amongst locals they sometimes call it a sayf ( a sword ). I show hawksheads as an overlapping form from the last post and as a separate style probably Yemeni and boun cing into there via the Red Sea and Zanzibar..sporting the usual range of European and copied blades as in the above post. One photo shows the Ottoman version..with luxurious horn hilt and conspicuous large rivvets and a likely contender of "origin of species" ! These certainly appear to be "weapons grade swords" with or without quillons and being reasonably short would have been ideal on board ships. From the lavish original style it seems to have degenerated into a general ships long knife, shortsword, cutlass retaining its hilt shape though in simple wood with leather over. In this way it has survived as a practical weapon though it is more seen on the periphery and on dhows. It is certainly not a pageantry item. It is tempting to try the label "Yemeni Nimcha."

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Origin of species Omani Dancing sword SAYF. There are no details indicating the provenance or precise timeline of this swords' origins. It is assumed to have arrived in the 18th century but how and from where or what design is unproven. Perhaps someone simply dreamed it up, from the sword pictured below, as an honorary equipment in parallel with the current ruling familys control viz;

~ Imam Ahmed bin Said bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Busaidi (founder of the Al Busaidi state) was subsequently elected Imam in 1744. He was a popular and well-respected leader. Despite having to reconcile the warring factions after the civil war, Ahmad bin Said developed and built up the Oman navy into a fierce task force, which assisted in the expulsion of the Persians from Basra. He died in 1783 in Rustaq ~

The Possible Contender as to Origin.
It looks rather like a Red Sea variant sword known to have origins in Ottoman, Mamaluke, Abbasiid and likely Greek style. The hilt is, in fact, tantalizingly similar in style to the old Omani Sayf Yamani except it looks stretched since its long weighty blade requires a long handle for balance.
It is a weapon; i.e. it has a point and a spike at the pommel for the close in business. It is double edged and not flexible being stiff and powerful in make up for stabbing, thrusting and slashing. Looking closely there is what appears to be a hilt guard and though it is tenuous it does appear to be a reinforced structure forward of the grip.

On the other hand, and in the absence of proof, it may be totally unrelated.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Devadatta]

I wonder what sword does this man at the picture have, I guess it shall be a curved kattara or can it be straight saif?

[David R]

Hi Ibrahiim, the subject of Omani "dancing swords" fascinates me. Perhaps you have posted elsewhere but..is there any chance of you posting a video of the sword dance in action. Believe it or not there is a tradition of UK sword dancing, called "Morris dancing" ie"Moorish Dancing" often claimed to have been brought back from the Crusades.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by David R

Hi Ibrahiim, the subject of Omani "dancing swords" fascinates me. Perhaps you have posted elsewhere but..is there any chance of you posting a video of the sword dance in action. Believe it or not there is a tradition of UK sword dancing, called "Morris dancing" ie"Moorish Dancing" often claimed to have been brought back from the Crusades.

Salaams David~ Morris dancing.. ? I think that is a festive seasonal English pageant structure built arround ancient beliefs no? In which case it is the same sort of reasoning behind the Funoon traditions in Oman but in the Morris they use sticks and bells (and drink lots of cider !) Its a tradition but the idea is similar)... There is a dance routine enactment on web just tap into search Omani Sword Fighting I think..
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Devadatta]

Salaams Ibrahiim, thank you for ansewr.

So as far as I understand you, long straight saif was made only for dancing and never was a weapon, neither battle one nor what we can call presentation (like European court swords, small-swords, officer dress-daggers and so on which can't be counted as actual weapons due to light construction but underline the high status of their owners)

But I see one more picture of modern days - I guess it's H.M. Sultan Qaboos himself, and as I can see he is wearing a straight saif. So I just wanted to ask could there be a possibility of using straight saifs as a kind of presentation weapon, or their role is only for dancing and nothing more? Thank you in advance!

[David R]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams David~ Morris dancing.. ? I think that is a festive seasonal English pageant structure built arround ancient beliefs no? In which case it is the same sort of reasoning behind the Funoon traditions in Oman but in the Morris they use sticks and bells (and drink lots of cider !) Its a tradition but the idea is similar)... There is a dance routine enactment on web just tap into search Omani Sword Fighting I think..
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

There are actualy two traditions of sword dancing in Morris, one with a conventional "sword", and the other with a grip at each end of the blade so it can be held by two dancers at the same time. It is believed the double grip originated in the use of horse grooming tool as a sword substitute. Just one of those oddities we have here in the UK.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Devadatta

I wonder what sword does this man at the picture have, I guess it shall be a curved kattara or can it be straight saif?

Salaams Devadatta ~ Is it Straight Sayf or Curved Kattara?

Wow !! Very interesting picture which appears to be the local governor(Wali) of Salalah in 1902 ! He wears a medal and the Royal Khanjar and a long hilt sword. Is it a curved Kattara (hilt marginally longer than the straight and worn in the dress ceremonial (Iconic) role) rather than the Straight Sayf worn in preparation to dance or enact a pageant?

The Wali is like the lord mayor (seen here in full official regalia in special head dress and official robes) though with wide sweeping jurisdiction and legal powers acting to solve local water rights, grazing rights, land disputes or arguements over family problems and other affairs ...This looks like his official portrait photograph.

The Wali could easily hold a court session with up to 10 or more cases being dealt with symultaneously rather like the Caucasian chalk circle by Tolstoy ~ instant justice ~

The long curved Kattara therefor being the badge of office of the legal governor of Salalah. "The Wali Of Salalah" . Wali Mohamed bin Salim Mirindani. Brilliant post thankyou !

Therefor it is The Omani Curved Kattara.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.