Quite a price for a Kattara

Ibrahiim al Balooshi · 28th April 2011, 04:26 PM

Omani Short Battle Sword // Kattara.

It is my view that the Omani Short sword with turned down quillons and a spiked hilt with the rigid pointed blade does indeed relate to the Nasrid Dynasty 1232 to 1492. The fact that this sword has a short blade and seems related to Greek or Roman derivatives is in my opinion purely fluke. There is no evidence that the style originates in Persia. I believe it is simply parallel sword blade development in an unrelated region i.e. Spain.
One could further speculate that the passage of this sword to Oman was inspired by Ibn Battuta the famous explorer who was in Oman certainly in 1330 and who later travelled to Spain in about 1350 but who knew the Meditteranean since childhood as he was born in Morocco in 1304...
The Omani Short Sword, however, is so completely different to the Kattara that I suggest they are totally separate developments. They are different swords for different purposes and different styles of combat. It is difficult to see how one originated from the other as they are totally different.

I further argue that the Kattara originated via the African style(Sudan~Abyssinia) on or about 1652 when Oman seized Zanzibar and that both swords continued to be used by Omanis until the longer weapon slowly took over perhaps as late as the 19th / early 20th Century.
I hope this note may inspire further discussion.

28th April 2011, 04:26 PM	#1
Ibrahiim al Balooshi Member Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: Buraimi Oman, on the border with the UAE Posts: 4,408	Omani Short Battle Sword // Kattara. Omani Short Battle Sword // Kattara. It is my view that the Omani Short sword with turned down quillons and a spiked hilt with the rigid pointed blade does indeed relate to the Nasrid Dynasty 1232 to 1492. The fact that this sword has a short blade and seems related to Greek or Roman derivatives is in my opinion purely fluke. There is no evidence that the style originates in Persia. I believe it is simply parallel sword blade development in an unrelated region i.e. Spain. One could further speculate that the passage of this sword to Oman was inspired by Ibn Battuta the famous explorer who was in Oman certainly in 1330 and who later travelled to Spain in about 1350 but who knew the Meditteranean since childhood as he was born in Morocco in 1304... The Omani Short Sword, however, is so completely different to the Kattara that I suggest they are totally separate developments. They are different swords for different purposes and different styles of combat. It is difficult to see how one originated from the other as they are totally different. I further argue that the Kattara originated via the African style(Sudan~Abyssinia) on or about 1652 when Oman seized Zanzibar and that both swords continued to be used by Omanis until the longer weapon slowly took over perhaps as late as the 19th / early 20th Century. I hope this note may inspire further discussion.