The Omani Sayf. ( The Omani Straight Dancing Sword)

[Ibrahiim al Balooshi]

Originally Posted by ariel

I have a straight-bladed Omani sword. The blade is obviously locally-made and is marked with the "eylashes". It is flexible, but the tip can go off axis by no more than 2-3 inches. The blade is solid and battle - worthy.


My Argument against Ibrahim's theory is somewhat different: these swords were made at a time when swordfights were epidemic in the area. Thus, most if not all men owned battle swords.
Why on earth would they keep their fighting swords at home and acquire flimsy dancing implements to, - allegedly, - honor their ancestors. Too much money to burn?:-) Honoring ancestors with specially-made battle-worthless fakes? Makes no sense to me, unless there is something special in the Omani culture, and I have too much respect for them to suspect it.

Sword dances were widely popular in other cultures ( Caucasus, Ukraine, Cossack comes to mind right away), but those used real fighting blades. Otherwise, they would look like sissies. Was Oman a special case? I have great doubts about it: the laws of militant display are pretty standard all over the world.
No doubt that by now, when real swords are not practicable, lost, broken or sold to tourists for mucho dinero, the dancing ceremonies might employ flimsy substitutes ( same as modern Caucasian dancing troupes) . But 100-200 years ago? Sorry, but the theory looks totally illogical.

Salaams Ariel ~ How correct you are in pointing to the special Omani culture. In 1744 the new ruler called for an identifying sword of dance specifically for the Bussaidi dynasty. Thus was invented/born the Omani Saif or Dancing Sword. This has the flexible blade so that it can shimmer and buzz in the air when it is danced with and at weddings and social gatherings and for the march past by tribal infantry... and people. Its hilt was taken from the Omani Kattara. It has a mimic fighting performance also part of the culture ~ and in fact an entire ensemble of such dances with and without the Saif are in what the Omani People call The Traditions or "Funoon."

Your querry illustrates the difficulty that sword people have all over the world... in understanding the point. It's not a weapon ... It's a dancing sword ...to celebrate, dance, perform, pageants and traditions. It is the Bussaidi Dynasty Sword. It has never been used for fighting.

What has happenend since 1970 is that Yemeni merchants have bought and sold Ethiopian and other Red Sea blades and where these blades have had Rhino hilts they have been stripped off and put on Jambia... The blades then applied to the Omani market mainly Muttrah Souk Muscat. Enterprising Omani Souk Store owners have mismatched these blades with Omani Longhilts and occasionally scabbards and offered them for sale to tourists...They look real. They aren't.


Flexibility. The blade when flicked by the wrist can be seen to buzz and bends in the region of 5 to 6 inches both sides of the vertical ...see #5... by this action alone. When you press the blade horizontal against a wall it will bend almost 90 degrees easily. When you seize the tip and bend it back it can bend almost double and on release springs back straight.

Rule. An Omani long hilted straight dancing sword with a blade that is not flexible must immediately be looked at as a potential fake and likely to be mismatched from a Red Sea variant. They are classified as Tourist Swords.


The identification of an Omani dancing sword does not depend on whether a blade is considered capable of chopping a horses leg off or slicing through watermellons or chunks of wood...It is a sharp 2 edged item with a spatulate tip on a long Omani hilt. The blade, variously fullered, MUST BE FLEXIBLE.

There are 4 categories of Omani Sword;

1. The Old Omani Battle Sword. (Saif Yamaani)
2. The Omani Dancing Sword. (The straight flexible Omani Sayf)
3. The Omani Shamshiir.
4. The Omani Kattara.

As a note Ariel.. I have never seen an Omani Dancing Sword with eye lash markings... not yet anyway. Lots from the Red Sea region but not Oman.

Regards,
Ibrahiim al Balooshi.