Arab Cutlasses of the Pirate Coast

Jim McDougall · 9th February 2024, 08:23 PM

On the 'kitara' sword, which is the saber bladed form of the conical Omani sa'if, it seems the rather thickly wrapped leather grip would be hard to hold unless with two hands, much in the way the larger conical grip broadsword of Oman is used.

It seems likely the Zanzibari versions of 'nimcha' coming into Oman from Zanzibar might well have found use to the northern Muscati regions. These would of course lent to the single hand use of the nimchas of North Africa/Yemen?

TVV · 9th February 2024, 08:51 PM

Jim, the nimcha you have posted is the one from the collcetion of the Met in New York. It belongs to a type of which there are multiple examples, including one captured by the great Dutch admiral De Ruuyter in 1655, a couple in the Real Armeria reportedly from the battle of Oran in 1732, as well as other examples without provenance or dating in Malta, St. Petersburg and private collections.

Hopsonn's nimcha currently in the Maritime Museum in Greenwich is slightly different, as you can see on the attached photo of it, but generally from the same time period and just of a slightly different grip style. it is similar to another nimcha in the Rijksmuseum that belonged to Cornelis Tromp.

Personally, I do not quite see the connection to the moplah/adya katti. The Moplah cleavers have the cutting edge on the opposite side. On nimchas the blade seems much more likely to have derived from the Italian storta and the Ottoman and Mameluke blades (the yelman part).

TVV · 9th February 2024, 09:05 PM

Here is a link to the storta in the Met Museum, dated to ca. 1490. It is often shown as a sort of a predecessor to nimchas, and one can certainly see some similarities.

https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24904

I am not aware of any nicmhas that predate this storta. The earliest nimcha is potentially an example in the Hofburg Imperial Armory with a straight broadsword blade and gilded mounts in Ottoman style. At least Eric Claude dates it to the 16th century. The nimchas in Malta are almost certainly not from the Great Siege, but from later naval engagements (the knights were just as much into piracy as their Ottoman and North African adversaries).

All in all, Anthony North's theory all the way back from the 70s that the nimcha derives from the storta still seems the most plausible to me today, at least when it comes to the blade and guard, while also accounting for Ottoman influence. The grip is more mysterious and that may actually have South-East Asian influences, if not origin, but that is a different topic.

Jim McDougall · 9th February 2024, 09:44 PM

Thank you Teo, I think you're right, the storta, with this interesting hilt form reveals the kind of guard system seen on the nimchas. I think this was discussed by the late Tony North in his article "A Late 15th Century Italian Sword" (Connoisseur, Dec. 1975).
The blade types as you say probably do derive from falchion types of these early times, and the 'moplah' thing is more comparative for the heavier flare distally. I have always wondered just how much of the flared blade came from falchions, as well as the widened blade yelman, then of course the Meditteranean kopis (which indeed had the inside cutting edge) all of these features having varied considerations.

It has always seemed that the Italian influences on the edged weapons of so many places have been profound because of the prolific trade contacts, so much so I was compelled to buy the huge "Armi Bianchi Italiene" volume (1975) . In studying the development of so many forms, the Italian ancestry being so consistent, it was essential.

9th February 2024, 08:23 PM	#1
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	On the 'kitara' sword, which is the saber bladed form of the conical Omani sa'if, it seems the rather thickly wrapped leather grip would be hard to hold unless with two hands, much in the way the larger conical grip broadsword of Oman is used. It seems likely the Zanzibari versions of 'nimcha' coming into Oman from Zanzibar might well have found use to the northern Muscati regions. These would of course lent to the single hand use of the nimchas of North Africa/Yemen? Attached Images

9th February 2024, 08:51 PM	#2
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	Jim, the nimcha you have posted is the one from the collcetion of the Met in New York. It belongs to a type of which there are multiple examples, including one captured by the great Dutch admiral De Ruuyter in 1655, a couple in the Real Armeria reportedly from the battle of Oran in 1732, as well as other examples without provenance or dating in Malta, St. Petersburg and private collections. Hopsonn's nimcha currently in the Maritime Museum in Greenwich is slightly different, as you can see on the attached photo of it, but generally from the same time period and just of a slightly different grip style. it is similar to another nimcha in the Rijksmuseum that belonged to Cornelis Tromp. Personally, I do not quite see the connection to the moplah/adya katti. The Moplah cleavers have the cutting edge on the opposite side. On nimchas the blade seems much more likely to have derived from the Italian storta and the Ottoman and Mameluke blades (the yelman part). Attached Images

9th February 2024, 09:44 PM	#4
Jim McDougall Arms Historian Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Route 66 Posts: 10,281	Thank you Teo, I think you're right, the storta, with this interesting hilt form reveals the kind of guard system seen on the nimchas. I think this was discussed by the late Tony North in his article "A Late 15th Century Italian Sword" (Connoisseur, Dec. 1975). The blade types as you say probably do derive from falchion types of these early times, and the 'moplah' thing is more comparative for the heavier flare distally. I have always wondered just how much of the flared blade came from falchions, as well as the widened blade yelman, then of course the Meditteranean kopis (which indeed had the inside cutting edge) all of these features having varied considerations. It has always seemed that the Italian influences on the edged weapons of so many places have been profound because of the prolific trade contacts, so much so I was compelled to buy the huge "Armi Bianchi Italiene" volume (1975) . In studying the development of so many forms, the Italian ancestry being so consistent, it was essential. Last edited by Jim McDougall; 9th February 2024 at 10:03 PM.

9th February 2024, 09:05 PM	#3
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	Here is a link to the storta in the Met Museum, dated to ca. 1490. It is often shown as a sort of a predecessor to nimchas, and one can certainly see some similarities. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/24904 I am not aware of any nicmhas that predate this storta. The earliest nimcha is potentially an example in the Hofburg Imperial Armory with a straight broadsword blade and gilded mounts in Ottoman style. At least Eric Claude dates it to the 16th century. The nimchas in Malta are almost certainly not from the Great Siege, but from later naval engagements (the knights were just as much into piracy as their Ottoman and North African adversaries). All in all, Anthony North's theory all the way back from the 70s that the nimcha derives from the storta still seems the most plausible to me today, at least when it comes to the blade and guard, while also accounting for Ottoman influence. The grip is more mysterious and that may actually have South-East Asian influences, if not origin, but that is a different topic.