Editor’s Note

The vastness of the Middle East embraces many fascinating cultures and traditions, and it offers sword scholars a range of weapons to absorb, study and debate. This is an area of hoplology affected by regional dialects, the movement and the manufacture of arms across borders and the quirks of English language interpretations and this means that many items can be found in dusty books and internet articles that have been incorrectly identified. For example, one source’s Bedouin shamshir can be another’s Arabian saif: with both describing the same sword-type and both being correct.

This article, from guest writer and notable collector of arms and armour Abdullatif Ali Alnakkas, looks at the main sword-types the researcher is likely to encounter, and it helps to elucidate this rich and rewarding area of research - I hope the reader finds it as interesting as I did. Please note that some swords of the Greater Middle East, such as the kaskara and takouba, are omitted here and will be featured in a coming article on African swords instead. All of the silhouettes illustrating this article are produced from typical real-life examples. Comments are, as ever, welcome.

Matthew Forde

One of the most commonly asked questions in the field of arms and armour regards the identification of a sword’s origin. As a passion, and a costly one at that, the collecting of swords can be a risky venture, wrought with negative investments and, often, give us painful memories of expectations torn apart by a later, disappointingly accurate identification. The field of Islamic swords is no exception and so this article will provide beginners with help to properly identify the most common varieties of the field.

To the eyes of the layman, sabres made by European nations, perhaps even examples made in India in the form of its military sabres, are ‘European’ but, with this term, the nuances of a complex field are lost. Similarly clumsy can be some sources’ descriptions of Middle Eastern swords and that can add to the confusion around them: terms such as shamshir, saif, kilij, et cetera, are used widely to refer to different styles of blades while those terms themselves simply mean sword in their mother tongues.

Similarly, blades made in Persia, are well known to be heavily curved while Ottoman Imperial swords, are known for their raised back edge (called a yelmen). But these famous characteristics cannot be solely relied upon to illustrate a sword’s origin as both centres of production made a wide variety of blade-shapes and international trade, fashions and other key influences helped to blur any clear lines of deduction that the neophyte might initially have perceived. Here, I believe, what matters is the identification of the sources of the blades:

Istanbul, Turkey and Anatolia: these regions were well known for producing blades with a raised rear edge. This has become known to collectors as the kilij form.
Egypt: its output often confused with Turkish-made blades, Egypt produced high-quality kilij blades as well as blades of the Persian form.
Europe: perhaps the most famous European country where blades were made was Germany, though examples of Italian, Spanish and Caucasian blades are acknowledged, too.
India: historically well known and presented in literature from pre-Islamic times, Indian makers produced a vast amount of types of varying quality. India was influenced by Persian and Turkish designs as well as the importation of European swords.
Persia: known for producing elegant, high-quality crucible-steel swords of distinct curve, Persia also manufactured other forms, including single-edged and double-edged designs.
Yemen: although it is extremely difficult to pinpoint a particular design belonging to Yemen due to its widespread imitation of blades from India and Europe, an amount of straight, double-edged blades were likely produced in Yemen up to the 19th century.

To aid quick identification, silhouettes and brief descriptions follow:

Syrian Swords

Syrian swords are famous worldwide due to the productive level of the country’s makers who, for the most part, imported blades of high quality while constructing the majority of the fittings locally. Syrians produced silver, brass and iron fittings with various levels of decoration, including floral and geometric designs. Their most defining feature is the handle curving towards the quillon and the use of horn scales pinned with various metals and minerals.

Ottoman Swords

The Ottoman Empire influenced a large geographical area, including Arabia, Egypt and the Balkans. The most popular swords amongst the Empire’s warriors were the yataghan, which employed a recurved blade; and a curved sword with a notably bulbous pommel. Alongside the vast sword production within the Empire, the Ottomans also valued good-quality blades produced in Persia and Europe. Silver and brass were the most common materials used to make and adorn hilts, though other materials are well documented.

Persian Swords

Although Persia, historically, produced a variety of sword styles, the most well known is the shamshir with the L-shaped handle. Its distinct and rather simplistic construction often contrasts with an intensive decoration and desirable crucible steel patterns. The curve of the Persian blade varied with some having a minimal curve while others presented more dramatic geography. Such shamshirs were found throughout the region and far beyond, and valued for their functionality and beauty.

Yemen

Yemeni swords can be considered to be a time capsule of Islamic arms, in which early designs survive into the later centuries. So early were such designs that it is suggested they were inspired by Eastern Roman sword-forms, and they remained in production towards the 18th century—and, perhaps, even later. One of the most common surviving designs has an entirely iron two-piece hilt (akin to well-known Mameluke swords) and a straight, double-edged blade.

Also, Ottoman-inspired karabela handles are numerous, surviving in Yemen in the form of versions produced locally or even as genuine, early Ottoman swords that remained in use since the presence of the Empire. To this day, new variants of these swords are still discovered and Yemen is something of a treasure trove for the Arabian arms researcher.

Oman

Famous for the long, cylindrical-handled swords, like Yemen, Oman also maintained early designs, especially in the form of the yarubi short sword, also called the saif Yamani. Like other Yemeni versions, said swords are constructed in a style similar to early Islamic swords, often employing heirloom blades made of crucible steel or early European blades.

The cylindrical-handled swords come in two main varieties, with minimally curved blades called kattaras and straight, double-edged versions that are constructed to this day for the Azi dance, fitting its new role as a showmanship piece.

Also, Omanis used the nimcha, the Yemeni form of the karabela and regal shamshirs were often worn by the upper classes and the ruling elite.

Central Arabia, the East Coast and Hejaz

Arabian swords produced in Central Arabia, Nejd in modern day Saudi Arabia, become subject to a boom in production after the discovery of the oil wealth. The swords produced in this region are heavily influenced by the Northern Arabian, Levantine and Sham productions and thus they also show similarity to Persian and Ottoman examples. The sword, for the Arab tribesman, remained in this region as a status symbol, and therefore Gulf Arabian swords often employ lavish materials, such as gold and silver sheets, to construct handles and scabbards. To this day, swords are produced in various areas of Saudi Arabia, Doha and Bahrain where manufacture remains a living tradition.

In conclusion, with this guide to Middle Eastern swords, it is hoped that readers are armed with the knowledge required to identify the most common historical sword-types of the region. Further research is always encouraged and it is well worth it as this vast area of study provides ample rewards to those willing to explore the subject further. Such weapons gift enthusiasts uncommon glimpses into the histories that helped to shape modern life and, really, they are an art-form of their own.

Abdullatif Ali Alnakkas

Abdullatif Ali Alnakkas has an exciting book currently in production and you can follow him on Instagram (@latif_alnakkas) or head over to his website to see more insights into historical Middle Eastern arms and armour.

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Identifying Middle Eastern Swords by Abdallatif Ali Alnakkas

Editor’s Note