Scimitar

A scimitar (/ˈsɪmᵻtər/ or /ˈsɪmᵻtɑːr/) is a backsword or sabre with a curved blade, originating in the Middle East.

The curved sword or "scimitar" was widespread throughout the Middle East from at least the Ottoman period, with early examples dating to Abbasid era (9th century) Khurasan. The type harks back to the makhaira type of antiquity, but the Arabic term saif is probably from the same source as Greek xiphos (the straight, double-edged sword of Greek antiquity). The Persian sword now called "shamshir" appears by the 12th century and was popularized in Persia by the early 16th century, and had "relatives" in Turkey (the kilij), and the Mughal Empire (the talwar).

Names

The name is thought to be derived from the Persian word shamshēr which literally means “paw claw,” due to its long, curved design. The word has been translated through many languages to end at scimitar. In the Early Middle Ages, the Turkic people of Central Asia came into contact with Middle Eastern civilizations through their shared Islamic faith. Turkic Ghilman slave-soldiers serving under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates introduced "kilij" type sabers to all of the other Middle Eastern cultures. Previously, Arabs and Persians used straight-bladed swords such as the earlier types of the Arab saif, takoba and kaskara.

Saif (disambiguation)

A saif or scimitar is a kind of sword.

Saif may also refer to:

People with the name

Eden, Wisconsin (disambiguation)

Eden is the name of some places in the U.S. state of Wisconsin:

Dorothy Johnston

Dorothy Johnston (1948) is an Australian author of both crime and literary fiction. She has published novels, short stories and essays.

Born in Geelong, Victoria, Australia, Johnston trained as a teacher at the University of Melbourne and later worked as a researcher in the education field. She lived in Canberra from 1979 to 2008, and currently lives in Ocean Grove, Victoria (Australia). She is a former President of Canberra PEN and a founding member of the Seven Writers' Group.

Awards

Bibliography

Novels

Short stories

Eden (newspaper)

Eden is an English-language newspaper published from Mile II Limbe, Cameroon. It is published by Senior journalist Chief Zachee Nzohngandembou under the CERUT (Centre for Rural Transformation) non-governmental organization. It was created in 2004 and has since been operating as a bi-weekly newspaper with publications on Mondays and Wednesdays. Its news articles extensively cover the entire national triangle of Cameroon, with stringing reports from other countries in the world.

Besides the newspaper, CERUT has Eden radio FM 98.1, Limbe, Sunday Eden, and Eden eXtra Magazine. Some of Eden's reporters include Ntungwe Elias Ngalame and Ndi Eugine Ndi (Yaounde Bureau), Ayang Macdonald Okumb (Buea Bureau), Ignatius Nji and Philo Happi (Bamenda Bureau), Jude Njinjuh (Kumba Bureau), Kowac Kum Kemayo Bandolo (Roving Reporter) as well as Solomon Tembang, the Desk Editor.

External links