Dubai: Several swords clashed on Friday night as young Emirati men fought to symbolically win a 16th century fort in Fujairah on the opening night of the second Al Saif Traditional Sword Competition.
All poised for battle, eight young Emirati men danced with their swords to highlight the art of heritage dancing widely practised by mountain tribes of UAE.
Visitors were treated to a day of traditional Emirati cultural performances including the Yahala Dance and fishermen songs, and the common favourite bull fighting, with the sword dance competition as the main event.
Shaikh Maktoum Bin Hamad Al Sharqi graced the event.
‘The confrontation'
The annual sword dance competition was introduced in 2010 to promote and maintain these traditions under the directive of Shaikh Mohammad Bin Hamad Bin Mohammad Al Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah.
On Friday night, swordsmen faced each other, two on two, for "The Confrontation" or the Al Mzafin. They met in the middle to display their mastery of the sword dance.
The grace and movement of the swords and the swordsmen are judged. The falling of a sword or the scarf would mean deduction of points for a swordsman.
Of the eight competitors, four have advanced to the next level for another duel next Friday.
Among those advancing to the next round is Saif Ahmad Al Khamis. The 20-year-old native of Fujairah said he has been doing the sword dance since he was a young boy of eight.
"When I went to weddings with my father, I saw them dancing to Arabic songs. So, I tried to learn [how to do it] step by step, After that I told my father that I wanted to buy a sword so he bought one for me," Al Khamis told Gulf News.
Al Khamis said his father, a retired policeman, took the time to teach him sword dance and sword handling.
"My father knew the dance and he taught me. It wasn't too difficult to learn. If you study it step by step, it isn't difficult," Al Khamis said.
In the old days, it was a norm for Emirati men to know how to do the sword dance, his father told him. It was a practice most old folk passed on to their sons.
"I taught my son the sword dance because I wanted him to be a strong fighter," Al Khamis said.
Passing it on
The father and son, who used to duel against each other before, said that they hope that the tradition will live on in the UAE.
"I hope that kids, when they become eight years [old], will ask their fathers to teach them because I hope that they would help save the tradition," Al Khamis' son said, adding that he would take it upon himself to pass on the traditional art to his sons when the time comes.
Glimpse of the past
- WHAT: Al Saif Traditional Sword Festival
- WHERE: Fujairah
- WHEN: Every Friday night until the championship night on December 16.
