Barbary corsairs/swords

M ELEY · 24th July 2008, 06:17 AM

Wow! Nice nimcha! That top one is particularly amazing with its thickened point! I'd love to get my hands on that one. Rick (RSword) has a truly amazing nimcha that I had the opportunity of holding, with gold leaf inlay. Its amazing how many of these swords are very simple/utilitarian, while others are made of the finest materials. Thanks for sharing.

RhysMichael, that's for posting your pics. The one of the Joassamee pirate with the faux shamshir-type sword got me to thinking. I was complaining about seeing these mock-Persian swords in so many speculative pirate pics and always assumed they were just imaginative. But now, after seeing so many pics with the clipped point swords, I'm truly wondering if this drawing might in fact be alluding to the Berber sabers, with their clipped points? As I mentioned and Jim concurred, most of these seem to be mid-19th century (too late for our time period). Does anyone know of any earlier Berber sabers? Or am I looking too hard at this? I guess the sketches could be a stylized version of a kilij?

TVV · 24th July 2008, 06:33 AM

I am not sure if the sketches are reliable - looking at the ship, it does not look like a xebec, the preferred type of vessel for the barbary coast pirates, which had triangular sails. I think the pictures are most the artist's imagination ratherthan an accurate depiction of real pirates and their weapons.

ward · 24th July 2008, 01:56 PM

You have to remember the reason a lot of these nimcha's are so late is because they were still in use. The slave trade was still legal in Morocco untill I beleive 1918 and in Mauritania untill 2002.

RhysMichael · 24th July 2008, 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TVV

I am not sure if the sketches are reliable - looking at the ship, it does not look like a xebec, the preferred type of vessel for the barbary coast pirates, which had triangular sails. I think the pictures are most the artist's imagination ratherthan an accurate depiction of real pirates and their weapons.

Etchings from that era are often not historically accurate so this is an excellent point.

fernando · 26th July 2008, 06:12 PM

Clandestine pictures taken at the Lisbon Military Museum.
The text in the tag mentions that this nimcha (?) was the sword prefered by Moroccan pirates of the XIX century. These are not the right words, but such was the sense.
Fernando

Rick · 26th July 2008, 06:43 PM

How interesting !

A Parang Nabur .

These swords seem to have gotten around .

M ELEY · 27th July 2008, 02:03 AM

Hmmm. Well, of course, the Malay pirates were second to none for their activities that span to the present day. But Berber Corsairs carrying these? Again, I guess through trade routes such would be possible, but typical?

fernando · 27th July 2008, 09:56 AM

Well, it would not be the first time museums give bizarre info on things

. For a start, they call it a nimcha, which (even) i know is not correct.
The tag text for a nimcha is probably right, and so must be the preponderance of the parang for the Malay pirates, so only the conjugation of both being wrong

26th July 2008, 06:12 PM	#5
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Clandestine pictures taken at the Lisbon Military Museum. The text in the tag mentions that this nimcha (?) was the sword prefered by Moroccan pirates of the XIX century. These are not the right words, but such was the sense. Fernando Attached Images

26th July 2008, 06:43 PM	#6
Rick Vikingsword Staff Join Date: Nov 2004 Posts: 6,339	How interesting ! A Parang Nabur . These swords seem to have gotten around . Attached Images Last edited by Rick; 26th July 2008 at 07:00 PM.

24th July 2008, 06:17 AM	#1
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,165	Wow! Nice nimcha! That top one is particularly amazing with its thickened point! I'd love to get my hands on that one. Rick (RSword) has a truly amazing nimcha that I had the opportunity of holding, with gold leaf inlay. Its amazing how many of these swords are very simple/utilitarian, while others are made of the finest materials. Thanks for sharing. RhysMichael, that's for posting your pics. The one of the Joassamee pirate with the faux shamshir-type sword got me to thinking. I was complaining about seeing these mock-Persian swords in so many speculative pirate pics and always assumed they were just imaginative. But now, after seeing so many pics with the clipped point swords, I'm truly wondering if this drawing might in fact be alluding to the Berber sabers, with their clipped points? As I mentioned and Jim concurred, most of these seem to be mid-19th century (too late for our time period). Does anyone know of any earlier Berber sabers? Or am I looking too hard at this? I guess the sketches could be a stylized version of a kilij?

24th July 2008, 06:33 AM	#2
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,664	I am not sure if the sketches are reliable - looking at the ship, it does not look like a xebec, the preferred type of vessel for the barbary coast pirates, which had triangular sails. I think the pictures are most the artist's imagination ratherthan an accurate depiction of real pirates and their weapons.

24th July 2008, 01:56 PM	#3
ward Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Posts: 637	You have to remember the reason a lot of these nimcha's are so late is because they were still in use. The slave trade was still legal in Morocco untill I beleive 1918 and in Mauritania untill 2002.

27th July 2008, 02:03 AM	#7
M ELEY Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: NC, U.S.A. Posts: 2,165	Hmmm. Well, of course, the Malay pirates were second to none for their activities that span to the present day. But Berber Corsairs carrying these? Again, I guess through trade routes such would be possible, but typical?

27th July 2008, 09:56 AM	#8
fernando (deceased) Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Portugal Posts: 9,694	Well, it would not be the first time museums give bizarre info on things . For a start, they call it a nimcha, which (even) i know is not correct. The tag text for a nimcha is probably right, and so must be the preponderance of the parang for the Malay pirates, so only the conjugation of both being wrong