Talwar, 17th Century, from India.

A scimitar (IPA: /ˈsɪmɪtə/) is a sword with a curved blade design finding its origins in Southwest Asia (Middle East). Image File history File linksMetadata Talwar_Hindú_SXVII.jpg‎ [poooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Scimitar Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Talwar_Hindú_SXVII.jpg‎ [poooooooooooooooooooooooooooooop File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Scimitar Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to create or digitize it. ... Scimitar may refer to a type of sword, the scimitar a scimitar cat (scientific name Homotherium serum), an extinct species of the cat family a type of aircraft propeller, the scimitar propeller a type of automobile, the Reliant Scimitar a type of light tank used by the British Army, the... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Look up Sword in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...  Southwest Asia in most contexts. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ...

The name can be used to refer to almost any Middle Eastern or South Asian sword with a curved blade. They include Arabic saif, Indian talwar, Persian shamshir, and Turkish kilij, among others. These blades all were developed from the ubiquitous parent sword, the Turko-Mongol saber. A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... Map of South Asia (see note on Kashmir). ... For other uses, see Arab (disambiguation). ... The Arabic word saif (سيف) and variations Saif, Sayf, Seif generally means {{coward)). // As such it does not in and of itself denote anything more specific than saber or back-sword in its parent land. ... Talwar with sheath A talwar, talwaar, or tulwar (Devanagari: तलवार) is a type of Islamic sword prevalent in medieval India dating back to at least the 13th century. ... Anthem SorÅ«d-e MellÄ«-e Īrān Â² Capital (and largest city) Tehran Official languages Persian Demonym Iranian Government Islamic Republic  -  Supreme Leader  -  President Unification  -  Unified by Cyrus the Great 559 BCE   -  Parthian (Arsacid) dynastic empire (first reunification) 248 BCE-224 CE   -  Sassanid dynastic empire 224–651 CE   -  Safavid dynasty... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The kilij (also spelled kilic) is a sword used by the Ottoman Empire starting around the late 15th century. ... Chinese Dao Knife or Sabre Dao (Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: tao1, knife) is a category of single-edge Chinese swords primarily used for slashing and chopping (sabres), often called a broadsword in English translation because some varieties have wide blades. ...

Etymology

The word "scimitar", known in English since 1548, derived from Medieval French cimeterre (15c.) or directly from Italian scimitarra, of unknown origin. Ottoman Turkish would be the expected source, but no such word has been found there.

A possible origin of 'scimitar' is from the Persian shim- or shamshir. This, in turn, is said to be derived from Middle Persian "shafshēr" meaning; "lion's claw" (sham = claw, shir = lion), in reference to the sword's curve. However, this is likely a folk etymology, as the word is already attested in Middle persian with the meaning "sword". Farsi redirects here. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... Pahlavi is a term that refers: (1) to a script used in Iran derived from the Aramaic script, and (2) more broadly, to Middle Persian, the Middle Iranian language written in this script. ... Folk etymology is a term used in two distinct ways: A commonly held misunderstanding of the origin of a particular word, a false etymology. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

The following swords are usually called scimitars:

• Saif (Arab)
• Shamshir (Persian)
• Kilij (Turkish)
• Talwar (Indian)
• Nimcha (Moroccan)
• Pulwar (Afghan)

The Arabic word saif (سيف) and variations Saif, Sayf, Seif generally means {{coward)). // As such it does not in and of itself denote anything more specific than saber or back-sword in its parent land. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The kilij (also spelled kilic) is a sword used by the Ottoman Empire starting around the late 15th century. ... Talwar with sheath A talwar, talwaar, or tulwar (Devanagari: तलवार) is a type of Islamic sword prevalent in medieval India dating back to at least the 13th century. ... A Nimcha is a single-handed sword from northwestern Africa, esp. ... A pulwar (also spelled pulouar) is a single handed curved sword from Afghanistan. ...

Scimitars in history

In the form of the khopesh, the scimitar started playing a sometimes significant role in Middle Eastern warfare more than two millennia before the advent of Islam. Famed scholar and Egyptologist, Zahi Hawass asserts that the Egyptians of the 18th Dynasty (circa 1600 B.C.) used new weapons technologies borrowed from the Hyksos, including "the scimitar" as important tools in fostering Egypt's regional domination which characterized much of the New Kingdom period (p 21-22). Some might judge that Hawass' use of the term anachronistic but nonetheless this provides evidence for the use of something akin to the scimitar in well before the development of the Persian shamshir. Many Islamic traditions adopted scimitars, as attested by their symbolic occurrence, e.g. on the Coat of arms of Saudi Arabia or the traditional surik in the Coat of arms of East Timor. 18th century BC Khopesh found in Shechem, Israel (West-Bank); the blade is decorated with electrum inlays. ... Dr. Zahi Hawass signs an autograph (Aug. ... The Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of ancient Egypt are often combined under the group title, New Kingdom. ... An image representing the Egyptian pharaoh Ahmose I defeating the Hyksos in battle. ... The New Kingdom is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BCE and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt. ... Saudi coat of arms The Saudi Arabian coat of arms includes two swords and a palm tree which represents the Saudi main tree. ... The coat of arms of East Timor (officially: Timor-Leste) contains the shield of Conselho Nacional de Resistência Timorense (National Council of Timorese Resistance). ...

The scimitar in fiction and popular culture

Arabs with scimitars from Boulanger's painting A Tale of 1001 Nights.

In fiction, warriors of Middle Eastern cultures often use scimitars, for example the character Yellow Robe in Journey to the West.(Chinese) Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x677, 153 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Scimitar ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1000x677, 153 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Scimitar ... Gustave Clarence Rodolphe Boulanger (1824-88) was a French figure painter. ... For other uses, see Fiction (disambiguation). ... The four heroes of the story, left to right: Sūn Wùkōng, Xuánzàng, Zhū Bājiè, and Shā Wùjìng. ...

Scimitars are also commonly used when the inclusion of a fairly exotic weapon is desired by authors of fantasy fiction and role-playing games. The Calormen warriors and royalty fight with scimitars in C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, as does Prince Borric, the main character in Raymond E. Feist's Prince of the Blood. Fantasy author R.A. Salvatore's dark elf protagonist Drizzt Do'Urden wields a pair of enchanted scimitars (although the reproductions actually have sword-straight edged blades). In J. R. R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, most Orcs wield scimitars. Also, in the Redwall series, the vermins' typical weapon is the scimitar. Scimitars are also a weapon in RuneScape, an online video game, and can be bought in a shop located in an Arabian styled area. In the games of Prince of Persia the player's/prince's blade is a scimitar. In the Diablo II game/s, A scimitar is an early weapon, promoting fast attack speed and low damage. For other uses, see Fantasy (disambiguation). ... This article is about games in which one plays the role of a character. ... In C. S. Lewiss Chronicles of Narnia series of novels, Calormen (pron. ... Clive Staples Jack Lewis (29 November 1898 – 22 November 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an Irish author and scholar. ... Narnia redirects here. ... Raymond Elias Feist (born 1945, Los Angeles, California) is an American author, mostly specialising in fantasy fiction. ... Drizzt DoUrden (IPA: ) is a fictional character in the Dungeons & Dragons-based Forgotten Realms setting. ... Swiss longsword, 15th or 16th century Look up Sword in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Tolkien redirects here. ... This article is about the novel. ... Redwall was the first book in the eponymous series by Brian Jacques. ... RuneScape is a Java-based MMORPG operated by Jagex Ltd. ... Diablo II, sequel to the popular game Diablo, is a dark fantasy-themed action role-playing game in a hack and slash or Dungeon Roaming style. ...

Additionally, the scimitar has been a fairly popular namesake employed by comic book and science fiction writers. A wrestler, a minor Marvel Comics villain, and space craft in the Star Trek, Star Wars and Wing Commander universes have all been named after the scimitar. Jafat also uses a Scimitar in the "Hadrabubdla - Ashti's quest" comics. Champions of the Galaxy is a collectible card game that incorporates dice, situation charts and over three-hundred wrestlers from a myriad of planets and galaxies in the future, created by Tom Filsinger, a community college psychology professor and entrepreneur from Jamestown, New York. ... Scimitar is a supervillain in the Marvel Comics. ... The Reman Warbird Scimitar was a very powerful starship in the Star Trek universe that appeared in Star Trek: Nemesis. ... This article is about the series. ... Wing Commander I title screen Wing Commander is a media franchise consisting of space combat simulation computer games from Origin Systems, Inc. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

The scimitar was also used in Arabia as a form of gladiatorial combat similar to the Roman fashion.

Sources and references

• Etymology OnLine
• Hawass, Zahi. (2005). Tutankhamun And the Golden Age of the Pharoahs. Washington DC: National Geographic Society