Kattara for comments

[David R]

... though generally the preferred work knife is a silver worked antique English Butter Knife (Sheffield Steel ) or the German equivalent from Solingen....Ibrahim al Balooshi sir, any chance of you posting a picture of one of these. I am fascinated by the idea of this sort of re use of a table knife..though given the quality of the steel of these old knives I am not too suprised.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by David R

... though generally the preferred work knife is a silver worked antique English Butter Knife (Sheffield Steel ) or the German equivalent from Solingen....Ibrahim al Balooshi sir, any chance of you posting a picture of one of these. I am fascinated by the idea of this sort of re use of a table knife..though given the quality of the steel of these old knives I am not too suprised.

Salaams David R~ I have this on forum already see search type in butter knife see "are these shafras" and see # 5; my pictures include an Omani worked silver handled Sheffield butter knife.
Regards Ibrahiim al Balooshi

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all~ Note to Forum. Recent conversion of Ethiopian (German blade) sword ready to be fitted with an Omani long SAYF hilt. WELDED TANG; ELONGATED, AND POMMEL ADDED. Muscat (Mutrah) 14 feb 2012.
Regards Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all Note to forum on restoring scabbards for Omani Battle Swords Sayf. Pictured here the distinctive hilt showing the join and 3 holes ~ the top hole as a collet with a loop to take the wrist strap. Often the hole is empty and it is uncertain if this was the case or that the collet pin detail was used...The latter giving a more sturdy hilt. On this thread are hilts with no collet pin and one with a rivvet instead suggesting no wrist strap or as a latter modification. Usually the pointed pommel is of 8 sections reflecting the 8 sided hilt however this one has 9.
Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Picture shows new scabbard making in process.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

"The Straight is a Sayf the Curved is a Kattara".


Salaams all, As a bump to the thread and to include a fairly startling fact, I add the following information on this particular blade that I would term not expensive but "interesting" since it carries a European number 563. The sword has lost about 5 inches of tip and is roughly flexible through perhaps 50 degrees ... Whilst it is a dancing sword it attains lower quality.
If this was part of a sword run or batch where are the other 562 examples and were there any more? 1000 or 5000 others? It could be a one off or locally made in ras al khaimah India or elsewhere however we will probably never know... As I say it is "interesting".

I throw in an old Map of Arabia by Jac Meurs.

Regards Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Salaams all, Note for Library SEARCH

Omani straight SAYF Dancing swords in Buraimi Souk today. The Yemeni shop owner pulls swords in the northern region from Mussandam and also other links from the Yemen/Saudia. I have posted a couple of pictures on Souks of Oman of some daggers etc

This Sayf is laminated and fully flexible through 90 degree bend. The decoration is flat wire stitching and the leather work is Northern ( Shimaliyya) The floral scrolls same however could reflect interior Omani work (Daakiliyyah). The blade is a little short by an inch or two ...but typical to type. Rigged to hang on a low baldric though in practise carried at the shoulder.

An exact date on the introduction of this dancing item buzzed in the air and sometimes thrown and caught in the historical enactment in the Funoon.. Although it is razor sharp and accompanied by a battle shield(terrs)in aspects of the traditional Razha dance pageant is not technically a fighting weapon moreover it is a celebratory accessory at weddings national day celebrations and the two Eid celebrations annually. It is engrained in Omans traditions.

It is assumed that the weapon arrived in the 18th C and clearly there is a link in the scabbard and hilt design style with its cousin the curved Kattara which appears to be a hybrid and appearing at about the same time. Pinpointing the arrival dates is an ongoing research project.

The origin of species of the Straight SAYF is also under scrutiny as there are links in style and shape to Red Sea variants apparently related to Yemeni/ Saudia weapons with historical notes supporting Ottoman, Mamluke, Abbasid and Greek roots. The peculiar fact is that a non weapon celebration sword has been designed from a fighting weapon and given a rehilting re scabbarding of Omani styling... though previous hilts of this precise nature are unknown(though there are some parallels with a Saudia / Yemen cousin noted earlier) the scabbard style is the same as the straight Old Battle Sword also called a Sayf whos origin of species points to 751 AD.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Late 20thC Omani Sayf dancing swords.

This style is typical of Ras Al Khaymah and carries the usual blade mark on both blades in identical form.

These swords are different lengths and on this post I shall also later (10 minutes)show the half sword in addition. As a dancing sword it is not obligatory to hold a full length sayf and often one sees the other variant two thirds the length(20 inch) of the long blades(30 inch)... still the same basic shape with flexi blade, round tip, razor sharp and on a long hilt however looking to my eye as a bit rediculous almost ! It rather underscores the pageant only use for this "weapon" or rather "pageantry accoutrement".

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.