Omani Sayf/Saif
A recent acquisition, sadly with no scabbard. Having followed the threads over the years with interest I'm aware that there are forum members who will say that this is Muttrah souk re-hilt and therefore a fake. There are also members who will claim that this is a legitimate fighting blade. I purchased it in the full knowledge of these competing positions primarily because it's an old blade and I enjoy owning old blades. Unfortunately they're rarely available on my budget!
Having this in my hand I feel I finally have something to add to the discussion. Whether this is a European blade or not I couldn't say. It is certainly a fighting blade, well tempered and sharp with a certain amount of flex.
What I find most interesting is the distal taper which graduates down to the cutting edge all the way around - meaning the tip is equally as thin and sharp as the straight cutting edges. There is no sign that this was once a blade with a point which was re-ground. I can find no difference in the patination around the tip or edges.
To my eye this blade clearly seems to have been forged to this shape. Whether this is a re-hilt for the tourist market or not, this blade has only ever been this shape with a fully rounded end. Whatever the implication of that might be.
The photos are not great unfortunately.
The dimensions are:
Blade length - 820mm
Hilt length - 205mm
Blade width - 40mm > 10mm
Fuller - 240mm x 10mm
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