A Fine S'boula (Jiboula)
Arab - Berber
Kingdom of Morocco - Beylik of Tunis, Ottoman Empire (Tunisia)
Mid- 19th century (ca. 1830 - 1870)
Steel, brass, horn (bovine), leather
Blade: 31,8cm
Hilt & Blade: 43,2cm
Hilt, Blade, Sheath: 45,1cm
Collection Date: 2021
Collection Number: 236
Ex. Harry Wagner Collection: Columbus, Ohio, USA (2021)
A Fine North African sword of Maghreb origin known as a s'boula or jiboula. They are presumably Morrocan in construction and decoration, but many examples have been associated with Tunis, specifically purchased during the Great Exhibition of 1851.
The straight, single- edged steel blade is narrow with a broad central fuller and tapers to a sharp needle point tip. Bovine "I" shaped hilt covered in brass sheet decorated in traditional North African motifs and geometric ornament on the front side, and stippled decoration on the reverse. The central grip is bound in brass wire and adorned with 12 red corals. Untranslated Arabic script on the pommel base.
The sheath of brass is highly decorated, matching the hilt. Attached are two brass baldric suspension rings. There is a leather section that separates the throat and chape mounts. Arabic script on the rear of the sheath, “There’s is no other God that gives victory”.
A Fine and complete example of type. They are usually not this elaborate, assuming that this was made for someone of a high social status. The Royal Armouries have two very similar in their collection, purchased from Tunis during the Great Exhibition of 1851. This example likely produced around the same time period and locality.
Richardson, Thom. 2018. “Islamic Arms and Armour”. Page 70.
Claude, Eric. 2020. “The Small Catalog of Moroccan and Algerian Edged Weapons”. Page 99.
https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-52019.html
https://collections.royalarmouries.org/object/rac-object-1654.html