Muscat: The National Museum is displaying in the splendors of Islam gallery the Saber(shamshir)and the al-Haswah dagger(khanjar), which are attributed to Imam Saif bin Sultan Al Yarubi I(Qaid al-Ard’)to the visitors.
The saber and the dagger are from the collections of the late Sultan Qaboos bin Said. The blade of this saber, made of Damascus steel, patterned with the most complex design, known as the “Forty steps”. The signature of the swordsmith appears in the middle gold cartouche on the blade “the work of Asadallah 186”, which was made by Asadullah of Isfahan, one of the most celebrated swordsmiths of the Islamic civilisation in the 11th century AH/17th century CE, in addition to the phrase “property of Sheikh Saif” below it, and the phrase “Shah Abbas year 5” was engraved.
The handle is made of gold and ivory. The ownership inscription on the blade proves that the saber was not taken as a loot, instead it had been commissioned directly from the maker. From the designation, it seems likely that it was made for presentation to the Imam, perhaps by the Savavid Court of Persia, who in 1675, saw him as a future leader of Oman. The al-Haswa dagger is made from rhinoceros horn, steel, wood, leather and silver and dates back to reign of the Al Ya’aruba dynasty between (1104- 23/1692-1711 CE).
