Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post - Zanzibar Nimchas, a More In-Depth Discussion

TVV · 9th January 2024, 04:48 PM

Jim, good point about Indian production meant for Arab mercenaries in Hyderabad. This could be yet another example of that connection.

You are correct that the ring guard is not a key feature that distinguishes between Oman/Zanzibar nimchas and those from the Maghreb. As discussed earlier in the this thread, there are plenty of examples from Oman/Zanzibar and the Comoros without a ring guard. There are also examples from the Maghreb with the ring guard. The shape of the knuckle guard and the tilt of the pommel are usually a better indicator of geographic origin.

The sword with the lion head pommel does not look to me as coming from the Mediterranean, and the Indian attribution has some merits, so it is more likely to be connected to Oman/Zanzibar/Comoros examples, but it is intriguing that the quillon finials are like those on Algerian nimchas. The only way for me to explain this feature is through an Ottoman connection. In the 16th century, when the Ottoman privateers were at their height in the Mediterranean, Ottoman naval power in the Arab sea also peaked, with notable Ottoman involvement all the way along the Indian coast. In fact, the battle at Diu preceded the siege of Malta and the battle at Lepanto by more than half a century.

The quillon block, quillons and ring guard are very likely to be derived from Italian (or Portuguese or Spanish) swords, but the grip and the pommel probably came from the East. This kind of fusion probably does not happen without the Ottomans, but how exactly it occurred is a mystery to me.

9th January 2024, 04:48 PM	#20
TVV Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Bay Area Posts: 1,600	Jim, good point about Indian production meant for Arab mercenaries in Hyderabad. This could be yet another example of that connection. You are correct that the ring guard is not a key feature that distinguishes between Oman/Zanzibar nimchas and those from the Maghreb. As discussed earlier in the this thread, there are plenty of examples from Oman/Zanzibar and the Comoros without a ring guard. There are also examples from the Maghreb with the ring guard. The shape of the knuckle guard and the tilt of the pommel are usually a better indicator of geographic origin. The sword with the lion head pommel does not look to me as coming from the Mediterranean, and the Indian attribution has some merits, so it is more likely to be connected to Oman/Zanzibar/Comoros examples, but it is intriguing that the quillon finials are like those on Algerian nimchas. The only way for me to explain this feature is through an Ottoman connection. In the 16th century, when the Ottoman privateers were at their height in the Mediterranean, Ottoman naval power in the Arab sea also peaked, with notable Ottoman involvement all the way along the Indian coast. In fact, the battle at Diu preceded the siege of Malta and the battle at Lepanto by more than half a century. The quillon block, quillons and ring guard are very likely to be derived from Italian (or Portuguese or Spanish) swords, but the grip and the pommel probably came from the East. This kind of fusion probably does not happen without the Ottomans, but how exactly it occurred is a mystery to me.