[Jim McDougall]

Excellent synopsis of the established facts and presumptions collectively.
Perhaps this might serve well in reflecting on the note made concerning Arab outposts in East Africa.

1.Zanzibar became a part of the Sultanate of Oman, though as a trade center, it began as an Omani trade station, or outpost.
2. Zanzibar is located in East Africa
Therefore there were Arab outposts in East Africa as well as across the continent. This was one of the key factors in the diffusion of Islam both religiously and culturally. Eventually many of these outposts which were strategically along established trade routes developed into towns and eventually cities.

In considering the possible provenance of this axe, which it seems generally agreed to carry distinctly Islamic affectation, with a number of the features characteristically Arab, and even more defined as Omani. The typology of the axe itself seems however to correspond to forms well known throughout Central African tribal groups, with certain provenanced examples known to belong to Bantu slavers.
As we know that Bantu slavers were in league with the Omani slave trade operating out of Zanzibar as well as probably others, and we know that the routes frequented by these caravans headed for Zanzibar headed into what is now Tanzania enroute to Zanzibar. It stands to reason that axes of this type, known to be used by Bantu in Central African regions, probably diffused with trade and various interaction to contiguous regions and tribes through time.

The fact that this carries Islamic decoration and features does not distinguish it at Zanzibari, we can only assume that it is plausible it may have ended up there with an individual connected to the commerce situated there.
We cannot therefore call it an 'Omani' axe, as it is of a well established African tribal form geographically well dispersed, and known to be used by various tribes. The decoration, which resembles well known 'Arab' elements, may be from Omani sources, or Hadhramati, but the presumption to Oman is due to the connection to the known slave trade in Zanzibar.Also considered are the examples of these type axes attributed to Bantu slavers and examples from Tanzania (part of Zanzibar). Since Slaving was one of the key elements of commerce present in this sector of East Africa and Zanzibar the connections seem compelling.

It should be pointed out that Zanzibar itself was a trade metropolis by the middle of the 19th century with profound international and cultural diversity.
There are a number of weapons presumed to be from Zanzibar, however this does not seem to be their true origin. The Omani kattara for example was in the time of Richard Burton ("Book of the Sword" 1884) often considered a Zanzibar sword because of its prevalence there with Omani merchants. The curious dirk type weapon termed by Burton 'Zanzibar sword' was presumed so, again because of its prevalence there. These 'I' hilt weapons (similar to the European baselard) were improperly identified first by Demmin (1877), and later discovered to actually be a form of the s'boula from Morocco (confirmed by Buttin in 1933, discussed in my research 2003). Also typically classified as from Zanzibar (Buttin 1933) are the sa'if (known as nim'cha) with the hilt similar to the Moroccan form, but with a perpendicular ring on the crossguard. These, though typically found in Yemen, are said to have been produced by armourers in Zanzibar using trade blades.

The key importance to this example referring to the Zanzibar sword is that the geographically wide separation and appearance of these weapons illustrates tne vast distances and dynamics of the trade networks, and an interesting connection that reflects this is the presence of these same type weapons in Ethiopia.
It should be noted that while Ethiopia (then Abyssinia) was primarily Christian, Harar and its regions were nominally Muslim, as was Somalia, other points of trade where Arab outposts were quite present.

In conclusion I would restate that this axe could be from one of many East African locations where Arab influence prevailed , and probably in association with Omani slave trade merchants. It seems to be decorated in accord with the merchants desire to reflect status, power and wealth much in the same manner as used by businessmen, leaders etc. through history and what seems a well known practice with the merchants of Oman.

Incidentally, John Hanning Speke was with Sir Richard Francis Burton in Somaliland in 1854, and they were also in Zanzibar.They discovered Lake Tanganyika in 1858 in thier quest for the Nile source.