Scimitar

A scimitar

A scimitar is a single-edged, curved sword of Middle Eastern origin. It was used predominantly throughout Western Asia and North Africa in a wide variety of forms, including the Syrian Sabre and the Ottoman Janissary Kilij. Rare but not unknown to Europe via export and transmission, pirates of the West Indies during the Golden Age of Piracy also favored scimitars alongside the more typical cutlasses.

Description

Yusif Tazim's kilij

Akin to the European saber, a scimitar is a single-edged, curved sword hailing from West Asia that takes on a myriad of forms depending on its cultural origin.

The Turkish kilij, for instance, bears a distinctive blade which is only slightly curved for the first half or third of the blade from the hilt before rearing back radically at the last half. A little further from the point of the shift, at around the last third towards the tip, the blade widens suddenly, such that it appears to "flare" outwards. This spontaneous change in degree of curvature along with the flaring tip is a trademark of the kilij, a Turkish type of scimitar.

The Persian Shamshir

Other varieties of scimitars are more conventional. The blades of Syrian Sabres are moderately curved throughout their entire length. The profile of their blades alongside the simple guard at the grip makes it quite similar to the much later European saber. Unlike the kilij, Persian scimitars are less uniform in design; the Persian Shamshir common throughout Italy during the Renaissance boasted an exceedingly broad blade while other Persian scimitars bore slender or tapering blades.

Scimitars were also diverse in terms of performance. In some cases, aged swords such as the powerful Syrian Sabre even decayed in efficacy over the centuries. However, given scimitars' common design feature as single-edged, curved swords, cutting power is a universal quality. Slashing techniques is a specialty of scimitars at the expense of piercing power.

History

A Persian scimitar

As a ubiquitous type of sword in the Middle East, the scimitar was widespread among Saracen forces during the Crusades. In the Third Crusade, they were employed by not only Saracen guards but the Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins as well. In 1190, the Assassin Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad utilized two distinct types of scimitars during his mission to recover the Chalice. They were the most powerful weapons he had in possession until he was given a special sword by his lover Adha, the Chalice. The next year, he no longer bore any of the swords he had utilized in that prior mission. Master Assassins, such as he, were entitled to the prestigious Syrian Sabre, among the deadliest in the Levantine Brotherhood's armory at the time.

During the Italian Renaissance, a certain model of the Persian scimitar characterized by a distinctively broad blade was widespread throughout the Italian city-states. It was sold at blacksmith shops across cities such as Florence, Venice, Forlì, Monteriggioni, and San Gimignano and saw service with many city guards. This model also found its way to Constantinople, then under the Ottoman Empire. Nevertheless, the Ottoman military had their own design of scimitars, the Turkish kilij, which was likewise a regular sword of the Ottoman Brotherhood of Assassins.

Aside from their brief foray into Italy during the Renaissance, scimitars remained a rarity in Europe. European armies of the 18th century developed their own single-edged, curved swords commonly known as sabers. Despite this, scimitars were popular among European pirates who roamed the West Indies during the early 18th century. They remained rare in France at the time of the French Revolution, but some scimitars still found their ways into Parisian markets.

Weapon statistics

Third Crusade

Name	Damage	Availability
Assassin's Sword (Enhanced II)	3	Sequence 6; Assassin's Rank 9

Spanish Renaissance

Name	Tier	Damage	Speed	Miss Chance	Modifiers	Requirements
Scimitar {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Scimitar (Rebellion)"}}
Fine Scimitar {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Fine Scimitar"}}
Syrian Sabre {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Syrian Sabre (Rebellion)"}}
Fine Syrian Sabre {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Fine Syrian Sabre"}}
Branded Kilij {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Branded Kilij"}}

Italian Renaissance (15th century)

Name	Damage	Speed	Deflect	Cost	Availability
Old Syrian Sword {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Old Syrian Sword (II)"}}
Scimitar {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Scimitar (II)"}}

Italian Renaissance (16th century)

Name	Damage	Speed	Deflect	Cost	Availability
Scimitar {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Scimitar (Brotherhood)"}}
Old Syrian Sword {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Old Syrian Sword (Brotherhood)"}}

Ottoman era

Name	Damage	Speed	Deflect	Cost	Availability
Persian Shamshir {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Persian Shamshir"}}
Syrian Sabre {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Syrian Sabre (Revelations)"}}
Janissary Kilij {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Janissary Kijil"}}
Yusuf's Turkish Kilij {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Yusuf's Turkish Kijil"}}

Golden Age of Piracy

Name	Damage	Speed	Combo	Cost	Availability
Pirate Scimitars {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Pirate Scimitars"}}
Persian Scimitars {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Persian Scimitars"}}
Edward Kenway's Unique Swords {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Edward Kenway's Unique Swords"}}

Seven Years' War

Name	Damage	Speed	Combo	Cost	Availability
Pirate Scimitar {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Pirate Scimitar (Rogue)"}}

Colonial Louisiana

Name	Damage	Speed	Combo	Chain-kill	Cost	Persona
Pirate Scimitar {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Pirate Scimitar (Liberation)"}}

French Revolution

Name	Level	Damage	Parry	Speed	Range	Cost	Modifiers	Requirements
Scimitar {{#section:AC:CST/Weapons|"Scimitar (Unity)"}}

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Altaïr's Chronicles (first appearance)
• Assassin's Creed
• Assassin's Creed II (first identified as "scimitar")
• Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood
• Assassin's Creed: Revelations
• Assassin's Creed III: Liberation
• Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag
• Assassin's Creed: Unity
• Assassin's Creed: Rebellion
• Assassin's Creed: Mirage