Zanzibar, Saiid The Great and his influence on Omani swords and weapons.

[Peter Hudson]

Hello Jim ...That is a reasonable way of putting it... Regards Peter Hudson.

[Peter Hudson]

Looking again at my #1 the importance of Said The Great and the incredible idea of taking Zanzibar is vital to our understanding of this great leader.

The concentration on mercantile activity was symbolised by the change of capital from interior Rustaq to coastal Muscat in 1784, and by a new overseas expansionism. Between the 1750s and the 1850s, Oman re-established its authority over the islands of the Strait of Hormuz, leasing them from the Persians, secured more than 100 miles of the Makran coast of Baluchistan, reasserted its claims to Dhofar and to the ports of East Africa, and even attempted to take Bahrain. The Mazrui rulers of Mombasa were repeatedly attacked and finally submitted in 1837. The Omani fleet once again became the most powerful local force in the Indian Ocean, if not throughout the East.

The architect of this remarkable Omani expansion in the early Nineteenth Century was the Sultan Seyyid Said, who reigned from 1804 to 1856. He ordered vessels from Indian shipyards, including, for example, the 74-gun Liverpool, launched in 1826, which from 1836 became the Royal Navy Imaum. He possessed in all fifteen western-style warships, as well as a vast fleet of Arab vessels, which could be used for both commercial and military purposes. He could probably embark as many as 20,000 troops. When the Sultan arrived at Zanzibar in East Africa in 1828, his fleet consisted of one 64-gun ship, three frigates of 36 guns, two brigs of 14 guns, and 100 armed transport dhows with about 6,000 soldiers.

Seyyid Said also diversified Oman's economy, and hit upon the idea that the East African coast could become a much surer source of wealth than the problematical trade of the Gulf. As far back as 1696, the Omanis had sacked the island of Zanzibar, then a loyal ally of the Portuguese; Said visited it several times in the early part of his reign to inspect its potential. By the time the Sultan moved his capital from Muscat to Zanzibar in 1840 he had established a highly successful economic system there: an Omani emigrant plantocracy was cultivating cloves, successfully introduced into Zanzibar in 1828, and Indian agents and capitalists, for centuries familiar in Oman and on the East African coast, were capitalising the ivory and slaving caravans which tapped the animal and human resources of the far interior of East Africa.

Peter Hudson.

[Jim McDougall]

I think what is important here,from our perspective as students of arms and armor is this insight into the fascinating history of Oman and Zanzibar and how these weapons, in particular the Omani sayf, became notably a distinct dynastic leitmotif for Sultan Seyyid Said.

This innovative ruler effectively brought Oman closer into the modern world, and he used visible and often almost theatrical elements to bring Omanis into his 'fold' and the dynastic changes he was creating.

The Omani sayf and khanjhar remain seen in Omani flags and symbolism, which well illustrates their importance, and as an example how weaponry is often so important in history.

While in most cases subtle, there are many where certain cultures and ethnicities are known for or even represented by the weapons they are known for.

Some examples I think of would be the Saxons, who were known for their weapon, the seax, a sword or heavy knife of varying size.

In India, the people known as Kattee, have as their symbol, the Indian katar dagger, and these are symbolically seen as the representation of a man's honor, and oaths and agreements are sealed with being sworn on this weapon. I have seen swords with the katar as a stamped symbol on the blade.

The point is that weapons are often iconic in history, and for me, personally, the study of history is most dynamic in knowing more on the weaponry of all forms that was present and used in events and times. It becomes even more dynamic as these reflect various influences and diffusion in the confluence of cultures, groups, and many other factors.

[Peter Hudson]

Thanks Jim, Your support has been superb all the way through Omani Swords.

Regards,
Peter Hudson.