The scimitar is a single-edged, curved-blade sword originating in the Middle East, developed between the 9th and 11th centuries from the sabers of the Turkic and Mongol tribes of Central Asia. Its forward-curving blade, light weight (800–1,400 g), and length between 75 and 100 cm made it the weapon of choice for Islamic cavalry for over eight centuries.
Few weapons in history have generated so much terminological confusion and simultaneous fascination. "Scimitar" is actually a Western umbrella term that encompasses various types of Islamic curved swords — the Persian shamshir, the Ottoman kilij, the Arab saif, the Indian tulwar — which share a design philosophy but have different technical characteristics. This guide precisely distinguishes them, traces their history, and explains why they remain reference pieces for collectors in Spain and worldwide.
What exactly is a scimitar? Technical definition
The term "scimitar" comes from the Italian scimitarra, which in turn possibly derives from the Persian shamshir ("lion's claw") or the Turkish şimşir. In the West, it was used as a generic term for any curved sword from the Islamic world, creating a historical imprecision that persists today.
Technically, a scimitar is defined by these five characteristics:
- Curved blade: pronounced curvature towards the edge, designed to maximize cutting in motion rather than thrusting
- Single edge: sharpened exclusively on the convex side of the curve (the outer side)
- Tapered blade: narrower at the base and wider towards the tip in some models, or uniformly narrow in others
- Simple guard: small or S-shaped crossguard that does not hinder the rider's movement
- Edge-oriented balance: the center of gravity is closer to the tip than in European straight swords
The key to its effectiveness is not in the force of the blow but in the sliding cut: when the curved blade impacts a target, the curvature causes the edge to "slide" forward as it advances, multiplying the length of the cut without needing to increase force. This principle made it ideal for riders who delivered arcing blows from a moving mount.
Origin and history: from the steppes of Central Asia to the Ottoman Empire
The origin in Central Asia (7th–9th centuries)
The curved blade design did not originate in Persia or the Arab world: its origin lies with the Turkic and Mongol tribes of the Central Asian steppes, who needed a weapon that could be drawn, struck, and re-sheathed from horseback at a gallop without getting stuck. Straight swords of Roman or pre-Islamic Persian tradition were too long and rigid for such use. Steppe nomads — Huns, Turks, Avars — progressively developed more curved swords from the 7th century, which traveled south and west through routes of conquest.
Persian perfection (9th–12th centuries)
When the Seljuk Turks penetrated Persia during the 11th century, they brought the curved blade design with them. Persian blacksmiths — the best metallurgists of the medieval Islamic world — refined the design to create the classic shamshir: an extremely curved blade (up to 30° curvature), thin, made of Damascus or wootz steel, with an edge capable of cutting silk in mid-air. The Persian shamshir influenced all subsequent variants.
Imperial expansion (13th–17th centuries)
The Mongol, Timurid, Ottoman, and Mughal empires adopted and adapted the curved sword according to their traditions and tactical needs. The Ottoman Empire developed the kilij, with its characteristic widening in the upper third of the blade (yelman). Arab warriors used the saif. In the Indian subcontinent, the tulwar flourished. Each variant was the response of a distinct martial tradition to the same problem: combat on horseback.
The Crusades and the scimitar in the Western imagination (11th–13th centuries)
It was during the Crusades that Europeans extensively encountered Islamic curved swords. Crusaders — accustomed to straight, one-and-a-half or double-edged swords — found themselves facing adversaries wielding completely different weapons. The scimitar entered the European imagination as a symbol of the Saracen warrior: exotic, swift, and dangerous. This perception survived in European literature, art, and heraldry for centuries.
Decline and legacy (18th–19th centuries)
The widespread adoption of firearms during the 17th and 18th centuries progressively reduced the importance of all bladed weapons on the battlefield, including scimitars. However, they continued to be ceremonial weapons and symbols of power in the Islamic world until the 19th century. The Ottoman sultan carried a kilij at official events; Persian nobles commissioned shamshirs with jade handles and precious stones as status symbols. Today they are museum pieces, collector's items, and historical recreations.
The 5 main types of scimitar
| Type | Origin | Main Period | Curvature | Distinctive Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shamshir | Persia (Iran) | 9th–19th centuries | High (25–30°) | Very narrow and extremely curved blade. The "pure" scimitar by definition. Only effective for cutting; practically useless for thrusting. |
| Kilij | Ottoman Empire (Turkey) | 13th–19th centuries | Medium-high | Blade widens in the upper third (yelman), creating a heavier and more lethal striking zone. Heavy combat version of the scimitar. |
| Saif | Arabian Peninsula | 7th–19th centuries | Variable (low to medium) | More diverse design depending on the region. Some are almost straight at the base and curve only at the tip. The oldest of the family. |
| Tulwar | Indian subcontinent | 15th–19th centuries | Medium | Characteristic hilt with a disc pommel and enveloping handguard. Indian adaptation of the shamshir with Mughal influences. |
| Pulwar / Pulouar | Afghanistan, Eastern Persia | 17th–19th centuries | Medium | Similar to the tulwar but with a narrower blade and more pronounced curvature. Regional variant of the Persian-Indian corridor. |
Scimitar vs. other curved swords: the definitive comparative table
Confusion between the scimitar and other curved swords is common. This table resolves the key differences once and for all:
| Sword | Cultural Origin | Curvature | Length | Edges | Key Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scimitar (shamshir) | Perso-Islamic | High | 75–100 cm | Single (outer) | Designed exclusively for sliding cuts from horseback. Useless for thrusting due to its extreme curvature. |
| Falchion | Arab / Mediterranean | Low-medium (only in the final third) | 55–80 cm | Single | Shorter than the scimitar. The curve is only in the upper third, more similar to a long machete. Used in the Iberian Peninsula during the Reconquista. |
| European Saber | Central Europe (Hungarian-Polish) | Medium | 80–95 cm | Single with false edge at tip | Influenced by the scimitar but adapted for foot and mounted combat. More elaborate guard. Origin in Polish and Hungarian hussars of the 17th century. |
| Japanese Katana | Japan | Low-medium | 60–80 cm | Single (convex) | Much less curvature. The design prioritizes cutting precision in foot combat and quick draws (iaido), not arcing mounted combat. |
| Iberian Falcata | Iberian Peninsula (pre-Roman) | Medium (inverse — curves inward) | 45–65 cm | Single (inner curve) | The curve is inverse to the scimitar: the edge is on the concave side, not the convex. Unique design for downward axe-like blows. |
| Scimitar vs. European Straight Sword | Medieval Europe | None | 70–120 cm | Double | European straight swords prioritize thrusting and percussive cutting. The scimitar cannot make effective thrusts; straight swords cannot make the scimitar's sliding cut. |
Want to see the difference between scimitars and Arab swords in our collection? At Espadas y Más you will find all variants of Arab and Oriental swords: shamshirs, kilijis, saifs, and falchions, from decorative pieces to functional models forged in steel. Shipping in 24-48h to all of Spain.
Historical figures who used the scimitar
Saladin (1137–1193) — The Sultan of the Third Crusade
Saladin (Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub), founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and Sultan of Egypt and Syria, is the historical figure most associated with the scimitar in the Western imagination. His victory at the Battle of Hattin (1187), which resulted in the reconquest of Jerusalem for Islam, became the most potent symbol of the scimitar-wielding warrior against the European knight with a straight sword. Tradition says that Saladin used a Damascus steel shamshir capable of cutting a silk handkerchief tossed in the air. Richard I of England and Saladin never met in direct combat, but the image of their duel — the straight sword against the curved — defined the imagery of the Crusades.
Tamerlane (1336–1405) — The conqueror of three continents
Timur (known in the West as Tamerlane), founder of the Timurid Empire, led one of the most devastating conquest campaigns in history: from Samarkand to India, Persia, the Caucasus, and the heart of the Ottoman Empire. His armies were masters of using the curved saber on horseback — a direct inheritance of the Mongol tradition — and the scimitar was the standard weapon of his elite cavalry, the ghulam. The defeat of the Ottoman Sultan Bayezid I at the Battle of Ankara (1402) at the hands of Tamerlane is one of the most dramatic episodes of the medieval Islamic world, with two scimitar traditions — the Timurid and the Ottoman — clashing.
Suleiman the Magnificent (1494–1566) — The Ottoman apogee
Sultan Suleiman I, during whose reign the Ottoman Empire reached its maximum geographic and cultural extent, made the kilij an imperial symbol. His ceremonial kilijis — preserved today in the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul — are masterpieces of Islamic goldsmithing: Damascus steel blades with gold inlays, ivory and ruby hilts, and leather scabbards with silver fittings. Suleiman's kilij was not a combat weapon but an object of power that communicated the authority of the caliphate.
Nadir Shah (1688–1747) — The last great Persian conqueror
Nadir Shah, founder of the Afsharid dynasty and one of the most brilliant military leaders of the 18th century, led the Persian shamshir to its last great military victories. His conquest of Delhi in 1739 and the sacking of the Mughal Empire — including the capture of the Peacock Throne, valued at tens of millions of gold pounds — was carried out by an army whose cavalry used the shamshir as its primary weapon. Nadir Shah is the last great conqueror to combine the massive use of the scimitar with modern artillery, merging the old and the new.
Abbas the Great (1571–1629) — The Shah who modernized Persia
The Safavid Shah Abbas I transformed Persia into a modern military power without abandoning the shamshir. His elite Persian guards — the Qizilbash — used wootz steel shamshirs made in the best forges of Isfahan, considered the finest swords in the world at the time. The "Damascus steel" or "wootz steel" (also called Khorasan steel or pulwār steel) that characterized the best Persian scimitars was for centuries the most advanced metallurgical material in the world, with a characteristic wavy pattern impossible to replicate in Europe until the 19th century.
The scimitar in popular culture and collecting
The scimitar has had a constant presence in Western popular culture since the 19th century:
- Literature: One Thousand and One Nights presented the scimitar as the weapon of Sinbad, Ali Baba, and the desert genies. Lord Byron mentioned it in his orientalist poems.
- Video games: Appears in Age of Empires (Arab units), Assassin's Creed (various titles), Dark Souls, and practically all RPGs with Oriental or medieval settings.
- Cinema: Aladdin (Disney), Prince of Persia, Ray Harryhausen's Sinbad films, and dozens of adventure film productions.
- Heraldry: The scimitar appears on the coats of arms of several countries and regions, including Algeria (whose flag includes a star and crescent on a green background, with heraldic scimitars in its military versions).
- Collecting: Historical scimitars from the 16th–18th centuries in good condition fetch prices from €5,000 to over €100,000 at international auctions. Quality replicas are the most sought-after Oriental pieces in the Spanish collecting market.
At Espadas y Más you will find our selection of collectible and functional scimitars, including models from Hanwei and Condor Tool & Knife, global leaders in quality historical replicas. You can also explore the complete universe of Arab and Oriental swords — saifs, falchions, kilijis, and tulwars — with shipping in 24-48h to all of Spain and free for orders over €60.
How to choose a scimitar for your collection
If you're thinking of adding a scimitar to your collection, these are the key factors depending on the use:
For decoration and display
A stainless steel scimitar with a leather scabbard and engraved finishes is sufficient. Look for pieces with authentic curvature (not straight imitations), a hilt with an S-shaped guard, and a blade length between 75 and 85 cm. Indicative price: €60–€200.
For quality historical collection
The standard is 1075 or 1080 high-carbon steel with heat treatment, a hand-stitched leather scabbard with a metal chape and characteristic bulb pommel. Reference brands are Hanwei (model HN-SH2354, based on an 18th-century Persian shamshir) and Condor Tool & Knife (model CTK-61301 Sinbad). Price: €150–€400.
For historical reenactment and Oriental HEMA
You need a functional carbon steel scimitar with differential tempering, authentic balance, and an edge that can be maintained. Serious options in this segment start from €250 and can go up to €800+ for artisanal pieces based on museum originals.
⚔️ See scimitar collection at Espadas y Más →
Frequently asked questions about the scimitar
What is a scimitar?
A scimitar is a single-edged, curved-blade sword originating in the Middle East, developed between the 9th and 11th centuries. The Western term encompasses various types of Islamic curved swords: the Persian shamshir, the Ottoman kilij, the Arab saif, and the Indian tulwar. All share a curved blade towards the outer edge, light weight, and a design optimized for combat on horseback.
What is the difference between a scimitar and a falchion?
The scimitar (shamshir) has a high and continuous curvature along the entire blade, designed for sliding cuts from horseback. The falchion has a blade that is almost straight for most of its length and only curves in the upper third; it is shorter (55–80 cm vs. 75–100 cm for the scimitar) and was more common in the Western Mediterranean, including the Iberian Peninsula during the Reconquista.
Why is the scimitar curved?
The scimitar's curvature responds to the physics of mounted combat. When a galloping rider strikes with a straight sword, the weapon tends to get stuck in the target, stopping movement. With a curved blade, the edge "slides" forward upon impact, executing a sliding cut that does not slow the rider's speed. The curvature also allows the weapon to be drawn more quickly from the saddle.
Who used the scimitar historically?
The scimitar was used by the main empires and armies of the Islamic world: the Abbasid Caliphate, the Seljuk sultans, the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid Persians, and the Mughals in India. Among its most famous bearers are Saladin, Tamerlane, Suleiman the Magnificent, and Nader Shah. It was also adopted by some European armies under Ottoman influence, especially the Polish and Hungarian hussars.
Is it legal to buy a scimitar in Spain?
Yes, decorative and collector scimitars are completely legal in Spain for adults. They can be kept in a private home without any additional paperwork. Functional sharp scimitars are subject to general regulations for bladed weapons and cannot be carried in public. At Espadas y Más, all purchases of functional models require age verification.
