Oman, Morocco or Zanzibar?

[Jim McDougall]

Hi Stu,
This unusual style hilt as I noted, appears similar to some hilts of the sabres used by Bedouin tribes of Sinai and into Palestinian regions from what I have understood. Mostly I am referring to the rather block style pommel instead of the more familiar 'hand nock', excluding the guard (the Palestinian types are guardless). The metal sheet wrap around it seems similar to other Yemeni hilts, as does the piton type D ring guard, which as we have now determined, is a form of guard in a cache of these swords acquired by Artzi around 20 years ago and from Yemen.

After a long period of assuming these ring guards were Zanzibari, as per discussions with Artzi, it now seems that while they were indeed provenanced from Yemen, there is no real proof they were assembled fully in Zanzibar as he suggested. Therefore there is no reason to presume these distinctive guards are indicative of Zanzibar .
They indeed appear to be 'Arab' as classified in Buttin (1933) in all the illustrated examples with this feature.

In going through notes this evening I discovered another example of the same type hilt as yours, metal wrapped pommel section, metal knuckleguard and D ring guard, and was posted in 2010 on another forum. Interestingly the motif on the grips were the same diamond shapes but also roundels. The blade on this one had the same deep channels and in this case Busch & Son(?) latter 19th c. Solingen.

I do recall the discussions some years ago claiming that blades were at times realigned from straight to curved and vice versa.
In the latter 19th century, around 1890s and later, there were considerable arrangements between Menelik II and both German and British blade suppliers to import blades. There was also considerable traffic outside official channels with such blades to private importers in Harar and Addis Adaba, mostly Armenian merchants in Harar.
A large number of these blades were deep channeled blades like your example, but these were indeed usually straight. It stands to reason that curved examples would have been brought in as well, as all of these blades were being mounted in rhino hilts for shotels. There was still a market among tribal figures for the traditional parabolic blade shotels as well as those with varying curve. I cannot see the purpose of straightening or curving blades when both types were readily available.

Many of these were apparently shipped to Yemen, apparantly for the rhino hilts, mounted in these blades due to restrictions on bringing in the horn alone. It would seem that most of these blades probably entered these regions pre WWI, and were refurbished with various hilts a number of times over the years. Many of these hilt components may also have been compositely assembled into these variant forms of nimchas.

While it has long been generally assumed and held that these ring guard nimchas were produced in Zanzibar, it seems most likely that these were assembled in Yemen with varying blades brought in from 'Red Sea trade'. In this case the Ethiopian blades probably filtered through Zanzibar, then on to Yemen with Arab merchants. This seems likely to have been how the 'Zanzibar' attribution may have been tagged to the Yemen swords, when it was actually the blades, not the entire swords being referred to.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

It is a fact these days that such blades are pouring out of Sanaa. Enough said about that and the escapades of the Sanaa boys to remove the rhino hilts and replace with backyard workshop basic hilts simply to raise the price allowing souk owners to purchase swords they can immediately put up for sale rather than just blades.

I have several of these straight variants and clearly bending to curved blade format was an option... I doubt they were originally produced curved but maybe they were.

Having said that, I see no reason why such a blade or sword would somehow reduce in actual collector value since they have had a very interesting history... German blade technology on the African trade blade circuit specific to Ethiopia and hilted with Rhino ~they were good weapons !... Then sent to Yemen and the famous bazarre of Sanaa...and all its incredible atmosphere and history ... There; rehilted and off up the trade route to exotic climes... Salalah and Muscat where they traded to world wide clients ... These were fighting blades in all their glory and recent history ~ On the waist of the occasional Bedu tribesman with blade bending, re hilting et al...

And by the way ... on their travels they almost got written up as fairly substantial Yemeni swords in a class of their own ... until the penny dropped here !!

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Zanzibari metalwork.. I have five examples of Zanzibari Metalwork viz;

1. Carved door accoutrements; clasps, hinges and spiggots.
2. Chests.
3. Combs.
4. Terrs Shields.
5. Nimcha; The form most directly attributable is the Ivory and Gold Hilted style.

Terrs shield metalwork, though, tentative is suggestive of the decorative angular / geometric style of the strap atop the Nimcha.

The comb proves the link to gold and Ivory Zanzibari style of decoration.

Finally; the strap (usually silver) on the Pommel top;
Note that the strap also occurs on the Ivory and Gold at # 1 and below though it is difficult to see..This in its own right virtually assures that the odd pommel strap of geometric scorpion style is Zanzibari. If the Golden Ivory hilt is Zanzibari the Rosewood/dark horn version hilt must also be, since it too carries the same Pommel top decoration... Unless unfinished hilt and blades were shipped off somewhere to be fitted with the scorpion device... It, thus, must be a wholly Zanzibari Hilt...In fact the scorpion device is a marker for such weapons !!

Therefor the geometric "scorpion" shape atop all "Zanzibari Nimcha" must be a Zanzibari design See below...

Ibrahiim al Balooshi.