BAT HILTS

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

thanks to royston for bringing up the topic. and i agree with the opinions that it's all merely coincidental.

as far as trading activities are concerned (precolonial per illustration, and thereafter), the bicol region had always been in the backwater. thus if there were a sword design that trickled down to bicol via trading, we would have found a similar design along the trading routes, within the philippines and also in the neighboring countries. but there's none.

also as pointed out, the designs in philippine (and southeast asian) weapons can be traced to the olden animistic beliefs. thus the 'motive' for the region's sword designs was different vs. middle eastern sword designs.

incidentally, may i inquire what thus was the inspiration behind the hilt design of arab swords (aside from the usual practical considerations, like easier drawing of the sword from the scabbard)? thanks in advance.

Salaams, Thanks for the clear map. Your question as to design is perhaps best answered by the origin of species of this sort of Arab sword which seems to stem from Italian and Venetian types perhaps moving down the Med along the Barbary Coast as far as Magreb and certianly eveident in Ageria morocco Saudia Oman(mainly Zanzibar) and Yemen. As a biproduct of it being around in the courtly neighborhoods of Rome and Venice a likely cousin to the early style appears on the waistbelt of Captains of the Great Bands of London (no doubt having visited such places) thus worn by Tobias Blose in my earlier letter. Your point about animalistic (Zoomorphic) hilt is understood but cannot be verified since the highly zoomorphic hilt from a morphed Nimcha appears on Sri Lankan Swords. It is always possible that the Philippines variant is a derivitive of that sword, however, it is agreed that it appears to be unrelated parallel development compared to the Arab Nimcha generally .. Regards Ibrahiim al Balooshi.