Pre-islamic Arabian Sword Types with Names in Arabic and English
Source: Arab Historical Weapons, December 16, 2001
Quoted in entirety from the original:
The straight sword which appears on the most right has influence from Roman and Assyrian Cultures however it is longer than both because in Arabian culture a sword's length MUST be at least half as long as a man to be considered a sword other wise it is just a dagger.
The sword after it was a slightly curved sword named "Qazeeb" which means strong handle because the bulk of its weight lied in the handle to allow for a faster slash and a stronger stabbing action.
The one next to it is the "Mathor" sword which literally means "Tracked through the sand" or more common meaning of Ancient Ancient Arabic as you can see liked to name things based on this double meaning of words to give a more specific meaning to their namings This sword has heavy Assyrian influence in it however it is curved handle makes the sword more powerful in slashing.
The one next to it is the "Mukhatham" Sword which is the very common curved sword Mukhathham means "that of the bloody nose" it is named this way because the curve on its nose will always get bloody.
The one in the middle is the Zul-Fiqqar type sword it was called this way due to a distinctive line in the middle of it that separates both the two bulks of this wide sword also its other meaning is to give meaning of cutting things into two most sword of this type were straight ones and did not have a bend the double tongued appearance of the famous Hazrat Ali sword was a special sword of this type. (Arabians did not have the habit of naming their sword special names but called them based on their types).
Al-Qula'a type sword was different than the Ma'athor type because it was wider and had three lines in the middle of it to counter weight.
Hatf sword this sword is by far the widest and heaviest to carry and only a select few would be able to carry a sword of such magnitude Arabians never had the culture of a sword held by both hands as evident from the handles which are designed to be carried by only one hand so its name was given as Hatf as a double meaning while it is a great honor to carry a sword such as this one to battle Arabian battles would last from Dawn till Dusk and if your hand got tired then you are dead so the carriers of such a sword must bet on their own stamina vs the stamina of their opponent since such a sword really drains the stamina of both so Hatf which literally means "Eradication" could be inflected on either of them.
Al-rasoub is a sub-division of the Zul-Fiqar type this one designed in the same way but lacks the middle line cut Rasoub means "Precipitating" because this sword would dig its way through sand the easiest and the sword able to do that can dig through flesh the same way.
Al-Battar which literally means "Cutter" was the most common and normal type of sword available.