Ever wondered about that dervish from Indiana Jones and The Raiders of the Lost Ark? Why are “scimitars” curved, and why where they abundant all over the Middle East? Why did Middle Eastern martial artists consider the sword “the Sultan of weapons?” 

You are cordially invited to a lecture on November 16th to discuss these topics in greater detail. We will explore the history of swords and sword fighting in the pre-modern Middle East through excellent Arab, Persian, and Turkish examples from our collection. Naturally, there will be time for audience members to handle the swords and ask questions of our presenter.

• Quarterly Lecture free to members. Non-members 20.00 donation at the door.
• When: Saturday, November 16th, 6-7pm
• Where: Oakeshott Institute, 1101 Stinson Blvd NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413

Bio: Hamilton Parker Cook, PhD, is a Research Fellow at the Oakeshott Institute who focuses on our Islamicate collection (Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Indian Subcontinent, and the Indonesian Archipelago). He is a specialist in Arabic, Turkish, and Persian martial arts manuals and edged weapons from the Islamicate in general, and the Eastern Mediterranean in particular. Currently, he working on reconstructing a 16th century Ottoman sword fighting treatise from the original manuscripts.