Editing Shamshir (section)

==Description==
[[File:A heavily armed Uzbek, Safavid Iran, mid 16th century.jpg|thumb|[[Uzbeks|Uzbek]] warrior armed with bow and arrows, [[khanjar]], [[Flail (weapon)|mace]], and a shamshir.]]

Originally, Persian swords were straight and double edged. Curved [[Turko-Mongol sabers|sabre blades]] were Central Asian in origin. There is considerable disagreement between historians as to when these curved blades were first introduced from [[Central Asia]] into [[Iran|Persia]], and over what period they became adopted and modified into the recognizable Shamshir.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Khorasani|first=Manouchehr|date=2007|title=Blades of the Lion's Tail: Birth of the Shamshir.|journal=Classic Arms and Militaria|volume=XIV| issue = 5|pages=18–22}}</ref> Curved blades began to appear in Persia in the 9th century, when these weapons were used by soldiers in the [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]] region of Central Asia but were not widely adopted.<ref>{{citation|title=Daily life in the medieval Islamic world|author=James E. Lindsay|publisher=[[Greenwood Publishing Group]]|year=2005|isbn=0-313-32270-8|page=[https://archive.org/details/dailylifeinmedie00lind/page/64 64]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/dailylifeinmedie00lind/page/64}}</ref> The sword now called a "shamshir" was developed in Persia over a period of time following influence from the Turkic [[Seljuq dynasty|Seljuk Khanate]] in the 12th century, the [[Mongol invasions|Mongol invasion]] of the 13th century, and finally taking a form distinct from earlier sabres by the 16th century.<ref name=":0" />  The Shamshir had "relatives" in Turkey (the [[kilij]]), the [[Mughal Empire]] (the [[talwar]]), and the adjoining [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabian]] world (the [[Arab sword|saif]]). Over the years blades might be produced in India or the Ottoman empire and rehilted in Persia, and vice versa leading to mongrel swords.

The shamshir is a curved sword, featuring a slim blade that has almost no taper until the very tip. Instead of being worn upright (hilt-high), it is worn horizontally, with the hilt and tip pointing up. It was normally used for slashing unarmored opponents either on foot or mounted; while the tip could be used for thrusting, the drastic curvature of blade made accuracy more difficult. It has an offset [[Hilt#Pommel|pommel]], and its two lengthy [[Hilt#Guard|quillons]] form a simple [[crossguard]]. The [[Tang (tools)|tang]] of the blade is covered by slabs of bone, ivory, wood, or other material fastened by pins or rivets to form the [[Hilt#Grip|grip]]. Many of the older Persian shamshir blades are made from high quality crucible [[wootz steel]] and are noted for the fine "watering" on the blades.