Indian scabbards

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

...Your comment about where some of the scabbards were made is very interesting, as I have never heard about this before....

Well, this was also news to me, until i have submitted the (my)Saif thread where, by courtesy of Teodor (TVV), i have learnt that Elgood, weaving various considerations on subject in his book, goes on to referencing a photograph of a certain warrior from the Aden protectorate with such a sword, and then states that many warriors from Southern Yemen served as mercenaries in Hyderabad and "the swords are certainly made there and locally", there meaning Hyderabad. According to Elgood the motifs on the scabbard are Indian in style, not Yemeni.
...And that Robert Hales, not so expansive as Elgood, besides showing a photo of the Sultan of Lahej and his retinue and three similar swords in their scabbards, simply notes that the design and workmanship resembles jewelry from Hyderabad and points to strong historic links between Yemen and India.
I have also read that F. L. Schwarzlose, when discussing the type of swords available to the Arabs of Arabia, concludes that they themselves preferred Indian blades to blades produced elsewhere. He also points to the fact that this trade in swords was in existence from very early times and subsequent research has confirmed this. Indeed, a strong case can be made that the early Islamic conquests were made by Arabs predominantely armed with Indian swords, the Prophet himself owning a Hindi sword. At the battle of Yamama (12AH/633AD) the Muslim's opponents were armed with Indian swords ...


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[Jens Nordlunde]

Fernando,
Yes India had a lot of trade with cpuntries to the east and to the west - even BC.
Interesting picture you show. In the lower row, the second man from left - does he have a tulwar?

[Pukka Bundook]

It Is a tulwar hilt, Jens. That is for sure.

[fernando]

Indeed.

[Jens Nordlunde]

So the export was not only blades or ingots - but whole swords as well.

[fernando]

Originally Posted by Jens Nordlunde

So the export was not only blades or ingots - but whole swords as well.

For some reason, in Hadhramaut and Yemen, the Arabs used to refer to a good sword as muhannad, meaning an Indian Sword.
(R. Elgood "The Arms and Armour of Arabia in the Eighteenth, Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries")

[Jens Nordlunde]

From very early times the Indians had big ships, with which they were able to cross the oceans, and trade far away Their main expost was the finest textiles, pepper, steel ingots, but they also exported a lot of other things. The payment they wanted was gold, to such an extend, that an old Roman once said - that Rome would soon run out of gold, with the amounts they sent to India.
The Indian trated with Rome, Arabia, Egypt, North Africa, Madagascar and other places - to the west, not to speak about to the east. Ok, gold was not all which entered India, slaves were also very much sought for.
The Indian trade seem to have stopped whan the Europeans arrived - as they seem to have wanted the trade.
As an experiment of thought. Could the Vikings have had swords made of Indian wootz steel? Yes they could. It is known that the Vikings were in Constantinoble very early, used for body guards - so when there, why not take a group-tour to Rome and Egypt?