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Originally Posted by Jim McDougall

Exactly, and this is even more so the case in North Africa. The typically rugged conditions experienced by these nomadic tribes called for frequent refurbishing of weapons much as most materials. In cases where weapons were traded or handed down, even hilts were either replaced or repaired.
The blades of course, most durable of all, have survived in these desert regions for many generations, even centuries.

In the case of the scabbards, as with most weapons, I consider the present one the most recent chapter in the working life of the weapon. As once told by a friend some time ago, a Fulani, the scabbard (in his language) was termed 'holga', which meant 'house'. I thought, much as with people, the sword (blade) simply had moved many times to new houses.

Ha ha ... that is very true ! The same of course is particularly so with Japanese swords ..... the blades of which ( perhaps more particularly due to fashion than wear ) were frequently rehilted, re -tsuba - ed and rescabbarded over the centuries. So much so that many of the weapons surrendered to the Allies at the cessation of hostilities in 1945 proved to have blades several hundreds of years old despite their modern ( regulation ) fittings. As they say, though we shouldnt judge a book by its cover, nevertheless the cover itself may have a story to tell.