That lovely piece of work, featured in countless cartoons, Aladdin and even the flag of a Waffen SS Muslim unit, its always seen right under the scimitar as the standard Saracen sword. But I've never once seen anything like it in my extensive studies of historical swords, never seen museum pictures and only once seen it in a serious movie, Kingdom of Heaven.

What is the story behind this thing? Whats it called and who used it, and when?