Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
3rd June 2025, 10:57 AM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Shamshir vs nimcha vs kattara
I just wondered, what was each type of sword used for and who would have used it?
It seems like the shamshir was an effective sword for cavalry and also used as a badge of office for royals and...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
30th May 2025, 12:08 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Mwinyi Mkuu
I found a bit more information about the Mwinyi Mkuu. It turns out that the caption of the picture was wrong - the people depicted were not from the 15th century:
"Mwinyi Mkuu, the 'Great Owner',...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
23rd May 2025, 10:14 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Sayyid Sir Khalifa II
Two photos of Sayyid Sir Khalifa II bin Harub Al-Busaidi, the ninth Sultan of Zanzibar (r. 9 December 1911– 9 October 1960), one presumably near the beginning of his reign and the second on his...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
22nd May 2025, 03:10 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Rumaliza
After a bit of research it appears that Rumaliza is the gentleman on the (viewer's) left in the photo posted above. He is the one wearing the lighter coloured robes.
I've found a larger copy of...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
21st May 2025, 05:09 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
First Sultan of Zanzibar
Sayyid Majid bin Saïd al-Busaidi: first Sultan of Zanzibar (when Oman and Zanzibar became separate realms). Shown with his ceremonial shamshir.
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
11th May 2025, 10:09 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
King of Zanzibar
The picture of the Mwinyi Mkuu is actually here in Zanzibar. Most of the older people who knew about the history of Zanzibar have passed away and a lot of the archives were destroyed. So it's...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
30th April 2025, 12:48 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Sword of the King
Here's a picture of the last indigenous king of Zanzibar (who reigned in the 15th century), with what appears to be a shamshir.
This could indicate that the shamshir was a badge of office for...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
30th April 2025, 12:12 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Companionship sword
Al-Qadib is nicknamed "The Rod" due to its narrow blade and described as a "defence and companionship sword" not to be used in battle.
Leaving aside the authenticity issue, I just thought that the...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
29th April 2025, 12:49 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Al-Qadib
Putting aside the question of their authenticity, I assume that the Persian master swordsmiths would have known the measurements of the swords attributed to the Prophet.
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
29th April 2025, 12:03 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Comparison to two swords
First is the shamshir attributed to Saif bin Sultan in the National Museum of Oman, dated as 1675 by the museum. The Zanzibar shamshir has almost exactly the same style and measurements as this...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
29th April 2025, 10:30 AM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Royal shamshirs
The other interesting question is: what happened to the royal shamshirs of the Sultans of Zanzibar - where are they?
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
29th April 2025, 10:17 AM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Ownership
Thanks Jim, that seems plausible. The next question would be who it belonged to. As stated previously in the thread, the shamshir was used as the regalia for Omani-Zanzibari sultans and high-level...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
28th April 2025, 05:51 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Ivory deterioration
Here's a link to an Australian museum website that mentions conditions for the deterioration of ivory:
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
28th April 2025, 05:24 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
17th century
Ivory can degrade within hundreds or thousands of years depending on the conditions. I had this confirmed by an expert in ivory. The local expert said in this case it would take more than four...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
28th April 2025, 12:23 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Rain in Zanzibar
In fact, it's rainy season right now in Zanzibar.
It's not like the drizzle in the UK - it's a proper tropical downpour. It can go on for hours. If you're outside you get completely drenched,...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
28th April 2025, 12:13 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
The shamshir
Here's the sword. It's almost exactly the same dimensions as the shamshir in the National Museum of Oman, except the blade is slightly narrower. However, there might be a reason for that, which I'll...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
28th April 2025, 09:16 AM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
It's worth bearing in mind the climate of...
It's worth bearing in mind the climate of Zanzibar. It's a tropical island six degrees below the equator. It has two rainy seasons with torrential rain and flooding. Annual rainfall is av. 1684 mm...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
21st March 2025, 05:44 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Yes, it's Persian, but most likely would have...
Yes, it's Persian, but most likely would have been owned by an Omani.
Just trying to figure out if the ivory blocks on the grip have been removed or decomposed while underground. We're looking at...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
17th March 2025, 03:11 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
17th March 2025, 12:51 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
Omani / Persian shamshir found in Zanzibar
The sword was dug up from the earth (but not that deep - just below the surface).
We assume the grip would have been walrus ivory but it looks like the ivory has completely decomposed until...
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Forum: Ethnographic Weapons
11th March 2025, 03:50 PM
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Replies: 67
Views: 85,605
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