Baggara spear "shalazieh"

[colin henshaw]

Originally Posted by Iain

Hi Colin,

A very nice example. These do appear to have been used on horseback as well as ox back! See the attached photos.

Don't see many of these around, congratulations on getting one with the shaft intact and in such good condition.

Hi Iain

Thanks for your comments and the excellent photos. Glad you like the piece. The third image of the man on ox back is particularly striking.

Reading up on the late 19th century Mahdist period and the various military encounters with the Anglo-Egyptian forces, it seems the Mahdists also employed large units of foot soldiers armed solely with these long spears and perhaps a sword. Presumably the idea was to simply overwhelm the opposition with a charging wall of steel, as in European mediaeval times ?

Makes me think a little of the Scottish "schiltrons" and their very long spears...

Looking forward to further comments on this topic.

Regards.