guardless nimcha

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Ibrahim, this is some most intriguing perspective on the seemingly most misunderstood term 'nimcha', which has long been included in the assembled glossary of classifying terms among arms collectors.
While Robert Elgood rightly noted the often misapplied use of the term in describing the sabres better described as Maghrebi sa'if (often Algerian also) as these typically had ful size blades, not 'half' or small/short as implied.

This is interesting investigative work in tracing the probable etymology of the term 'nim' and the variously interpreted suffix 'cha', in the use of this term collectively in describing many types of Arab sabres in this group.

It seems quite likely for the diffusion of the Baluch/ Iranian version of the word into Arab parlance and into a vernacular description used more collectively as you suggest.

Salaams Jim, What the map does not show is the other areas that Baluch mercenaries flowed into ... From our perspective there are two important omissions ...One is the Zanj where they were called into service after 1830 by Said the Great against Fort Jesus and the Portuguese enemy at the time. This was something of a pushover as it was disease that weakened the Portuguese but I earmark this as part of the conundrum addressed in the next paragraph. To the North is the region that is part of Afghanistan. To the West Persian controlled Baluchistan... The entire area of what we call Baluchistan may be thought of as more straddling these countries in an amorphous blob...but administered and owned by the countries of which they are painted upon. The other area was The Punjab South and East of Baluchistan. Said the Great favoured these tough tribal fighters and many remained in place until today as well as in Oman. The Sultan continues to recruit from Baluchistan in the Pakistani controlled region of Mekran. (Oman owned Gwadur port until 1950). ..though among those recruits it was often found soldiers from other areas were in the group. In the Zanj they were often found in the 19thC inland working with Tipu Tib and at Zanzibar. They also worked with Burton on his journeys to and from the African interior.

A couple of things struck me as interesting while I was thinking this through...The sword Nimcha as we know it can not have developed from scratch in Zanzibar waters... it must have come from North Africa either by desert or Sea or both. The first Europeans into the Indian Ocean were the Portuguese.

After the Portuguese left Bahrain, Musandam, Muscat(1650) and Zanzibar (1652) there was still a lot of activity and fighting as they struggled to hold parts of the Zanj etc... Said the Great attacked them at Fort Jesus in 1831? with his Mercenaries from Baluchistan... after that there was a general retreat and reformation built around Mozambique ...but insofar as the Zanj etc they were more or less absent. My question is this...

Was it not the Portuguese who brought the weapon from North Africa... and was it not also they who took the name Nimcha back to North African shores ...Nimcha..from the Baluch on the Zanj as their (the Portuguese) possessions in the Indian Ocean disintegrated ?

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.