Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Attribution of Indian (?) handle: Hyderabad?

ariel · 19th June 2016, 02:06 AM

So, how should we call these swords?
They are a bewildering hodge-podge of parts and styles: Persian blades, Indian handles, Arabian decor...

Indo-Arabian? Arab -Mughal?

For myself, I choose the construction of the handle as the defining point. Blades were imported, decorations borrowed or just made by itinerant artisans, but the national character of the sword was embedded in its handle. It was a hallmark of tribal beliefs and tastes, it reflected the traditional way of wielding it, it largely defined its techniques.
That is why shashka is Caucasian, Kastane is Sri Lankan, Pulwar is Afghani, Yataghan is Ottoman ( with even more ethnic variations), Choora is from the Khyber Pass and Kattara is Omani.

I would easily call it Baloch or Sindhian, or Hyderabadi.

Others can choose their favorite definitions, but calling it just "Arabian" would be a big mistake IMHO.

19th June 2016, 02:06 AM	#24
ariel Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Ann Arbor, MI Posts: 5,503	So, how should we call these swords? They are a bewildering hodge-podge of parts and styles: Persian blades, Indian handles, Arabian decor... Indo-Arabian? Arab -Mughal? For myself, I choose the construction of the handle as the defining point. Blades were imported, decorations borrowed or just made by itinerant artisans, but the national character of the sword was embedded in its handle. It was a hallmark of tribal beliefs and tastes, it reflected the traditional way of wielding it, it largely defined its techniques. That is why shashka is Caucasian, Kastane is Sri Lankan, Pulwar is Afghani, Yataghan is Ottoman ( with even more ethnic variations), Choora is from the Khyber Pass and Kattara is Omani. I would easily call it Baloch or Sindhian, or Hyderabadi. Others can choose their favorite definitions, but calling it just "Arabian" would be a big mistake IMHO.