Zanzibar Sword

Roland_M · 26th November 2016, 11:06 PM

Another example of the rare and mysterious Zanzibar Sword.
Without the scabbard it is 70,5 cm long (58,5 cm blade only) and 72,5 cm total.
With 395 Grams the sword is very light for its length.

This was my first real auction and the picture in the catalogue showed nothing of the blade.
I was a little earlier there and was able to inspect the blade before the auction.
I draw the blade out of the scabbard and was thinking like one who found a gold nugget "What!! OMG! This is almost like new!"
I put it back in the scabbard very quickly to avoid any attention and and put it in the deepest corner of the showcase.
I had to wait long and exhausting six hours but in the end it was worth the waiting and hoping.

The blade is really amazing, very thin and flexible. It is a short and slightly curved rapier, especially designed to stab through chainmail and leather armour.
The point of this sword is the thinnest I ever saw. It is almost a real needle, the comparrison with the pen is impressive.
The first three inches after the point are unsharp, because of its purpose to stab through the rings of a chainmail armour (at least I think so).
The rest of the cutting edge is sharp.
The fantastic condition with only a little bit minor corrosion, allows me to research the old finishing techniques. The surface was smooth with great effort, not far away from japanese standard,
the edge is still very sharp.

The main reason for the good condition of the steel is the brass scabbard of very high quality.
Only the hairs of the red velvet and one of the pins in the middle of the scabbard are lost.
Between the sheath and the hilt is no gap, this demonstrates the high quality and makes the sword water resistant.
The hilt is made of horn and partially covered with brass. It is also in good condition, only some of the twisted decoration wires are lost.

Finally and to add a further point to the discussion, in my opinion the Zanzibar sword have some similarites to the Jordanian dagger.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Best wishes
Roland

Roland_M · 26th November 2016, 11:07 PM

two more pictures

kahnjar1 · 26th November 2016, 11:12 PM

Hi Roland,
Not a Zanzibar sword IMHO.
This is known as a JIBOULA sword, probably mounted in Morocco,. but found throughout North Africa.
Stu

Kubur · 27th November 2016, 04:41 AM

PFFFFFFF very beautiful I'm jealous!

ariel · 27th November 2016, 07:18 AM

Agree with kahnjar1: not Zanzibari.
Moroccan and NE African jiboula or s'boula.

For some reasons often attributed to Ethiopian Jews, Falashas.

This one is extra nice.

Sajen · 27th November 2016, 12:21 PM

Hi Roland,

like said before, a real beauty. And so I was not wrong when I told you that I see similarty to the Algerian shula hilts with the inlaid brass wire, see the attached picture taken from an old thread.

Regards,
Detlef

Marcus · 28th November 2016, 02:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ariel

Agree with kahnjar1: not Zanzibari.
Moroccan and NE African jiboula or s'boula.

For some reasons often attributed to Ethiopian Jews, Falashas.

This concept is stated in Islamic Weapons, Maghrib to Moghul. by Anthony Tirri. Not sure where he got it from.

Jim McDougall · 28th November 2016, 05:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marcus

This concept is stated in Islamic Weapons, Maghrib to Moghul. by Anthony Tirri. Not sure where he got it from.

I did quite a bit of research during preparation for a paper I wrote in 2004 which was actually on these swords. My study on them actually began when I acquired one some years prior, and was actually informed on the s'boula connection by Dominique Buttin, great grandson of Charles. I confirmed the origin of the Burton reference from Demmin (1877) when I located an original copy and saw the exact attribution to Zanzibar there along with the Oman broadsword had been lifted by Burton (1885) .

The entire 'faux pas' of the Demmin/Burton references to 'Zanzibar' on these swords was foot noted by Charles Buttin (1933) as he described they were actually s/boula from Morocco as illustrated in his catalog. This was further shown in his article on Moroccan weapons in 'Hesperis' in 1939 .

As I referenced in my paper, Charles Buttin was well acquainted with the arms of Morocco with many years of residence there giving him ample opportunity for his field research on their weapons.

I found the 'Ethiopian' connection in an obscure pamphlet on African weapons by Lindert (1967) which showed these 'Zanzibar' type swords among their arms. I cannot recall offhand whether the Falasha's were mentioned there, but that was included in my paper from research some time prior to 2004.

I do not recall if Tirri noted the Falasha's in his book, but based his Ethiopian attribution on examples with Amharic script on the blades. As I had described in my research, their presence there was certainly understandable with trade networks from the west and south interconnected in these regions.

What was most important about this particular case study in arms classification was understanding the necessity of always cross checking references set forth in early arms writings, despite their veneration and stature. We find errors in degree in so many of these works, and though with the highest respect maintained for the authors, we continue the research to resolve these and thereby adjusting our knowledge on these arms.

colin henshaw · 27th November 2016, 02:19 PM

A fine sword in good condition, congratulations. Most of the examples I have seen have a fair bit of damage to the sheath and/or hilt.

Jim McDougall · 27th November 2016, 05:21 PM

This is truly an amazing example of Maghrebi dagger which is really usually more of a dirk and termed, as noted s'boula (Buttin, 1933,1939).
What prompted these being classified as Zanzibari was the Burton reference in "Book of the Sword", where one of these is shown in a plate with an Omani broadsword (termed 'kattara').
This pairing was clearly lifted from a reference in "Arms& Armour" by Auguste Demmin (1877), and the instance was noted by Charles Buttin in his 1933 catalog, as well as stating the sword of the type shown in OP as a Moroccan s'boula.

It is most interesting that both of these weapon forms became known in degree as 'Zanzibari', but the Omani sword was the most qualified to carry that term as much of their origin actually was focused in this Omani Sultanate.
The 'H' type hilt dirks known as s'boula were primarily Moroccan but certainly well known across the Maghreb, as well as diffused throughout the routes across the Sahara into trade entrepots in Ethiopia. At one point these were even suggested as being Ethiopian swords from examples found with Amharic script on the blades, but these were incidental examples which had come in as noted via trade routes. As noted by Ariel, the Falashas were Jewish tribes in Ethiopia, who were known armourers to the royal court there.

From these Ethiopian regions, these found exchange with trade coming from Zanzibar and returning, eventually becoming well known in Zanzibar.

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 28th November 2016, 11:23 AM

The inclusion by Burton of the S'boula certainly buckled thinking down the decades on this peculiar sword being termed Zanzibari. It would appear that some African slave traders carried this weapon on their travels ... Noted also on the same page on The Book of The Sword was the Omani Dancing Sword...or Sayf. In this case it is easy to see the association since Zanzibar was owned at the time of Burtons Book; by Oman.

26th November 2016, 11:06 PM	#1
Roland_M Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Germany Posts: 525	Zanzibar Sword Another example of the rare and mysterious Zanzibar Sword. Without the scabbard it is 70,5 cm long (58,5 cm blade only) and 72,5 cm total. With 395 Grams the sword is very light for its length. This was my first real auction and the picture in the catalogue showed nothing of the blade. I was a little earlier there and was able to inspect the blade before the auction. I draw the blade out of the scabbard and was thinking like one who found a gold nugget "What!! OMG! This is almost like new!" I put it back in the scabbard very quickly to avoid any attention and and put it in the deepest corner of the showcase. I had to wait long and exhausting six hours but in the end it was worth the waiting and hoping. The blade is really amazing, very thin and flexible. It is a short and slightly curved rapier, especially designed to stab through chainmail and leather armour. The point of this sword is the thinnest I ever saw. It is almost a real needle, the comparrison with the pen is impressive. The first three inches after the point are unsharp, because of its purpose to stab through the rings of a chainmail armour (at least I think so). The rest of the cutting edge is sharp. The fantastic condition with only a little bit minor corrosion, allows me to research the old finishing techniques. The surface was smooth with great effort, not far away from japanese standard, the edge is still very sharp. The main reason for the good condition of the steel is the brass scabbard of very high quality. Only the hairs of the red velvet and one of the pins in the middle of the scabbard are lost. Between the sheath and the hilt is no gap, this demonstrates the high quality and makes the sword water resistant. The hilt is made of horn and partially covered with brass. It is also in good condition, only some of the twisted decoration wires are lost. Finally and to add a further point to the discussion, in my opinion the Zanzibar sword have some similarites to the Jordanian dagger. Hope you enjoy the pictures. Best wishes Roland Attached Images

26th November 2016, 11:07 PM	#2
Roland_M Member Join Date: Aug 2014 Location: Germany Posts: 525	two more pictures Attached Images

27th November 2016, 04:41 AM	#4
Kubur Member Join Date: Jun 2013 Posts: 2,145	PFFFFFFF very beautiful I'm jealous! Attached Images

27th November 2016, 12:21 PM	#6
Sajen Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Germany, Dortmund Posts: 8,781	Hi Roland, like said before, a real beauty. And so I was not wrong when I told you that I see similarty to the Algerian shula hilts with the inlaid brass wire, see the attached picture taken from an old thread. Regards, Detlef Attached Images

26th November 2016, 11:12 PM	#3
kahnjar1 Member Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: CHRISTCHURCH NEW ZEALAND Posts: 2,739	Hi Roland, Not a Zanzibar sword IMHO. This is known as a JIBOULA sword, probably mounted in Morocco,. but found throughout North Africa. Stu

27th November 2016, 07:18 AM	#5
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	Agree with kahnjar1: not Zanzibari. Moroccan and NE African jiboula or s'boula. For some reasons often attributed to Ethiopian Jews, Falashas. This one is extra nice.

27th November 2016, 02:19 PM	#9
colin henshaw Member Join Date: Jan 2008 Posts: 1,430	A fine sword in good condition, congratulations. Most of the examples I have seen have a fair bit of damage to the sheath and/or hilt.

27th November 2016, 05:21 PM	#10
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 9,947	This is truly an amazing example of Maghrebi dagger which is really usually more of a dirk and termed, as noted s'boula (Buttin, 1933,1939). What prompted these being classified as Zanzibari was the Burton reference in "Book of the Sword", where one of these is shown in a plate with an Omani broadsword (termed 'kattara'). This pairing was clearly lifted from a reference in "Arms& Armour" by Auguste Demmin (1877), and the instance was noted by Charles Buttin in his 1933 catalog, as well as stating the sword of the type shown in OP as a Moroccan s'boula. It is most interesting that both of these weapon forms became known in degree as 'Zanzibari', but the Omani sword was the most qualified to carry that term as much of their origin actually was focused in this Omani Sultanate. The 'H' type hilt dirks known as s'boula were primarily Moroccan but certainly well known across the Maghreb, as well as diffused throughout the routes across the Sahara into trade entrepots in Ethiopia. At one point these were even suggested as being Ethiopian swords from examples found with Amharic script on the blades, but these were incidental examples which had come in as noted via trade routes. As noted by Ariel, the Falashas were Jewish tribes in Ethiopia, who were known armourers to the royal court there. From these Ethiopian regions, these found exchange with trade coming from Zanzibar and returning, eventually becoming well known in Zanzibar.

28th November 2016, 11:23 AM	#11
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	The inclusion by Burton of the S'boula certainly buckled thinking down the decades on this peculiar sword being termed Zanzibari. It would appear that some African slave traders carried this weapon on their travels ... Noted also on the same page on The Book of The Sword was the Omani Dancing Sword...or Sayf. In this case it is easy to see the association since Zanzibar was owned at the time of Burtons Book; by Oman.