The Omani Sayf. ( The Omani Straight Dancing Sword)

[spiral]

Noted in full Andrew. Thank you. Ive been doing my best...

iechyd da boyo Ibrahim!

To further help your reference search for the elusive quote from an unknown place,source or origin { perhaps by the respected researcher Ingrams or perhaps not... }

Namely.....

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Ingram is careful to point out that Omanis or Manga as they were known... only danced with the straight Omani dancing sword.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

These screen below captures may help.

Despite the whole book not being available online from google books, a word search on the relevant reference page brings up the references, even for pages that are not officially available.

linky to the book of words.

Its a very useful tool, I found so anyway.

Fascinatingly the relevant song & dance chapters you citied are also complete! {Rather than having to use the internal word search function.}

{Its the 1931 edtion you original quoted before understandable uncertainty of your source set in.}

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Meanwhile the Omani Dancing Sword wrongly or mistakenly mis-reported down the ages from the early 18th C by the half dozen or so visitors to Oman continues to stretch the imagination unabated though hopefully with restraint and honourability amongst men... I repeat that at the start I was so taken in by the furore and warlike nature of the sword in its mimic fight that I too thought it was a fighting weapon. Having looked at hundreds of blades I have seen none that qualify as battle worthy. I have spoken to many many Omani people in and out of the Souk and examined blades there and in the Museums where I have seen no battle blades ... that is stuff blades ...moreover they are bendy to 90 degrees some less than others

Have you considered that the fact in your imagination & that of your trader friends & associates in fake Omani swords that all fighting blades are rigid, could be wrong?.

Historically in many cultures this is wrong! A blow from a razor sharp 30 inch or whatever blade of thin whippy spring steel construction will cut you to the bone, slide down the bone & remove great hanging pieces of flesh & sinew , slicing arteries as it does so.

Highly efficient against tribesmen peasants & slaves, {not to mention women & children. } {ref. page 144 in Ingrams excellent work..}wearing a thin dress of cotton at most.

That is a fact.

If you & your associates down at the dockside souks are unaware of it that's another thing. ...Have you contemplated that as possible Ibrahim? Perhaps a little wider research will help you there?

Skinny spring steels blades will strip you bare to the bone......If razor sharp of course...

Spiral

[spiral]

O yes, before I forget, Please if you ever find the elusive source of your statement re. Ingrams certainty that only straight dancing swords were used.

Please add it to this thread.... There many waiting to see the source in its entirety & properly referenced. As you know.. some people may be just a touch sceptical...

Its seems terrible to not be able to fathom the true source of such a critical & important statement, that so supported you in your 17 month long thread, particularily in your hour of need in the face of so much scepticism from myself & so many other forum members.

Hwyl fawr am nawr Ibrahim!

spiral

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by spiral

O yes, before I forget, Please if you ever find the elusive source of your statement re. Ingrams certainty that only straight dancing swords were used.

Please add it to this thread.... There many waiting to see the source in its entirety & properly referenced. As you know.. some people may be just a touch sceptical...

Its seems terrible to not be able to fathom the true source of such a critical & important statement, that so supported you in your 17 month long thread, particularily in your hour of need in the face of so much scepticism from myself & so many other forum members.

Hwyl fawr am nawr Ibrahim!

spiral

Salaams Spiral... I'm so glad you found the reference on page 205 as I thought I was going crackers ! How on earth I was supposed to have made that lot up is beyond me... So the reference is accurate viz as is the other reference by David(used in my second paragraph below) who quite correctly has seen the detail of the straight sword as belonging in my logical assessment or inference ... ie I know the sword was straight because that's the shape of the Funun sword. I hope you allow inference in the detective story of this sword... and insofar as written down transcript I trust you are aware of the unwritten history of the Funun.

On the subject of Funun and the straight sword see http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.23...=21104401332677 where it explains the weapon used in Razha. Consider what sword may have been first used in the Funun and in that regard the Old Omani Battle Sword fits... pre the Dynastic Sword or flexible dancer..

What this pair of references has effectively done is to close out any interlopers in the time frame. What it cannot show is what occured much later in 1970 when Oman opened the door into the late 20th Century and the through trade between souks flourished not least with blade rehilting which was quite prolific ...but the story has been told...

On with the show !!

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[spiral]

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Salaams Spiral... I'm so glad you found the reference on page 205 as I thought I was going crackers ! How on earth I was supposed to have made that lot up is beyond me... .

No one doubted that reference or said it didn't exist.

Your Engish is better than many peoples born in England. you know that.

This is the one I repeatedly asked you to justify.

Originally Posted by Ibrahiim al Balooshi

Ingram is careful to point out that Omanis or Manga as they were known... only danced with the straight Omani dancing sword.
.

You know... the one that doesn't exist, but you repeatedly stated did even when challenged.

spiral

[Andrew]

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[Andrew]

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