Boabdil

Within the Western collective imagination, the term swords is usually associated with those of our environment. The ones that typically come to mind are those wielded by the Templars, the Cid Campeador or the Musketeers, coming to believe that no one has mastered the art of making this weapon like our civilization.

This belief is very far from reality. In fact, nearly 4000 years ago, the Chinese applied techniques as developed as the ones used in the Roman era 2 millenniums years later. For this reason, we take a brief tour of two of the civilizations that have most stood out for the use of the sword: the Chinese and the Arab -or Muslim-.

The swords of both civilizations mentioned have something in common: a term referring to one of these weapons has been used to refer to all those that resemble it. We speak of the dao in the case of Chinese swords and the scimitar in the case of Arabs.

It can be said that in the two cases mentioned, the most notable interest is the difference between these weapons and ours.

Chinese swords, or dao, specifically, have a slightly curved shape and are the inspiration for the Japanese katana. Currently there are almost two dozen variations that are denominated by this term and which are the result of the evolution and development of different techniques over the millennia. Contrary to Europe -where we have seen how a different model has prevailed in each era- in China they have maintained the same type of sword as their main reference.

The typical Arab swords, or scimitars, as they are known in all Western countries, have been studied by European blacksmiths, looking for ways to emulating their resistance. Its characteristic curved shape was made legendary around the world in the hands of Saladin, Sadokan and Sinbad the Sailor. The genet, typical of the Nasrid kingdom of Granada, also stands out.