Scimitar

Cimitar.

A scimitar is a saber with a long curved blade, originating in the Middle East. The word scimitarra seems to come from the Italian derivation "scimitarra" from the Persian shamsir, and serves in the West to refer to any Muslim or Eastern curved saber. Therefore, within the term scimitar -which in itself is not a specific weapon- the following weapons would enter:

• Shamsir: if it is of Persian origin.
• Kiliç: if it is of Ottoman origin.
• Saif: if it is of Arab origin.
• Talwar: if it is of Indian origin.
• Nimcha: if it is of Maghreb origin.
• Etc

Therefore, since they are weapons that differ slightly from each other, but that ultimately do differ, the term scimitar is a generic word for all of them.

In other words, it's a curved sword. In the 17th century, the Spanish American Indians made scimitars for the Spanish to defend their army.

Features and history

The scimitar is a refined, thin and light weapon. It is decidedly sharp, with a single edge and a protective hilt made of metal. Its origin is usually found in Persia, although it was also used in India during the 13th and 14th centuries. Its long, curved blade was undoubtedly designed for sweeping enemies with thrusts, as well as slashing deep. The particularity that it is curved serves so that when attacking on horseback the blade does not embed itself in the opponent and cut following the trajectory of the rider's blow.

The Arabs preferred the scimitar to the straight sword, and the mere fact of evoking its name immediately transports us to the memory of those fights between the Templars and Saracens, but we also tend to associate it with fascinating characters such as Sandokan or Sinbad the sailor, the who, with their amazing handling of this weapon, earned the respect of their adversaries.

But another great figure who is inextricably linked to this weapon was Saladin, sultan of Egypt, Syria, Arabia and Mesopotamia, during the Third Crusade, which took place between 1187 and 1192. And great are the feats that are narrated about him and his scimitar:

• “It was these wise men who told King Abdalmalek ben-Merwan that, when Ricardo Heart of Lion met in the crusades with the immense Saladin, the Christian king believed it necessary to exalt the virtues of his sword.

• To demonstrate the strength of his most commandable weight, he cut an iron bar.

• In response, Saladin took a silk cushion and split it into two with his cimitar without the shadow of an effort, to the degree that the cushion seemed to open itself.

• The crusaders could not believe in their eyes and suspected it was a trick. Saladin then threw a veil into the air and with his gun he teared it.

• This was a thin curved foil that shone, not like the swords of the Franks, but with a blue color marked by a myriad of curved lines distributed randomly.

• The Europeans then verified that these were precisely the characteristics, oh great lord!, of all the foils used in Islam in Saladin times."

"Editorial note: In the same way that the sword was the spirit of chivalry and being a knight in the West, in the East the scimitar. Thus, the scimitar was not the only weapon used by Muslim or Eastern troops, but rather it was a symbol. In fact, the famous Iberian Jinetas of the Conquest had straight double-edged blades"

The blades, the sages around King Abdalmalek ben-Merwan insisted, were exceptionally strong if bent; they were also hard enough to keep their edge; that is, they could absorb the blows in combat without breaking. Their mechanical virtues, as well as their beautiful wavy markings on the surface, were due to the material from which they were made: Damascus steel.

Thus, in Crusader times, Damascus swords became legendary. For centuries they were the fascination and frustration of blacksmiths in parts of Western Europe, who tried in vain to reproduce them. They never believed that both their strength and their beauty came from the high carbon content, which in Damascus swords was between 1.5 and 2.0 percent. Thus, by adding carbon to reduced iron, the result was a harder material.

Steel was made in India, where it was called paste (wootz). It was sold in the form of ingots or rounds the size of a large medal. It is believed that the best blades were forged in Persia from these pastes, to also make shields or armor. Although Damascus steel was known throughout Islam, it was also known in medieval Russia, where it was called bulat, and in Spain (which were brought by the Moors), where swords forged in the Toledo steelworks became famous.