Subject: فارس fāris knight
Culture: Arab, Kurdish
Setting: Ayyubid sultanate, Crusader war, Egypt/Syria late 12th-early 13thc
Evolution:
Context (Event Photos, Primary Sources, Secondary Sources, Field Notes)
* Nicolle 1999 p120-121
"The military changes which resulted from the Ayyūbid take-over have possibly been exaggerated. Tactics and recruitment were certainly different under the Ayyūbids, but the organisation of Ṣalāḥ al-dīn's forces seems to have still owed a lot to that of the later Fāṭimid army, particularly of the élite regiments. The Ayyūbid Sultanate, at least in its fully developed 13th-century form, fielded many armies, since it was more a family coalition than a military state. The largest and most important of these armed forces was, inevitably, that of Egypt itself, but even here internal organisation was simple compared to that of the subsequent Mamlūk army. Only at the very end of the Ayyūbid period were efforts made to create a unitary army with a large élite of mamlūks under the direct control of the Egyptian Sultan. This force was, in fact, to be used as the model upon which the armies of the Mamlūk Sultanate in turn were subsequently modelled.
"Ayyūbid recruitment different from that of the Fāṭimids in relying initially on Kurds or Turcomans and latterly on an increasing proportion of Turkish mamlūks. Arabs played a minor role, Iranians even less, while Armenians, Berbers and black Africans disappeared very soon after Ṣalāḥ al-dīn's seizure of power in Egypt. Changes in recruitment also had an interesting effect on the costume of Egypt's military élite, which became increasingly Turcified. Comparable changes could be seen in tactics and equipment, though more gradually. Ṣalāḥ al-dīn still made considerable use of infantry, but these were gradually limited to siege warfare, while the cavalry element increased in both size and importance."
* Elgood ed. 1979 p164 (David Nicolle, "An introduction to arms and warfare in classical Islam" p162-186)
"In this later age when horse-archers dominated Middle Eastern warfare, cavalry armed in the traditional manner with lances often appeared in large numbers, for instance at the battle of al-Bābayn in 1167. Usāma ibn Munqidh, a Syrian amīr of the twelfth century, records many occasions when he and his comrades fought in the old way with lance and sword, generally in inter-Muslim warfare, sieges, or during minor border skirmishes with the Franks. On one occasion some time before 1109 he claims to have urged his rather pacific tutor, Shaykh Abū 'Abdallāh ibn al-Munīra to join in the battle by saying: 'O Professor, if thou should'st put on a jerkin with a helmet, dangle a sword at thy side, carry a lance and a shield and stand by the Mashhad al-'Āṣī (a narrow place where the Franks -- may Allah's curse be upon them! -- used to cross the river), not one of them would dare pass by thee'.
"Even as late as the period following the death of Saladin, cavalry armed with sword and lance enjoyed a pronounced revival in the Fertile Crescent and Egypt at the expense of Turkish horse-archers, a situation temporarily reversed after the Mamlūks' close-run battle with the Mongols at 'Ayn Jālūt in 1260."
* Bennett 1998 p115
"faris medieval Arabic horseman, often compared to the Western knight. His basic military skills were described in the furusiya (cavalry training manuals), stressing obedience, individual skills, tactical awareness, bravery, and the possession of good armour and weapons, including a bow and lance. A professional faris was also trained to fight on foot."
* Maalouf 1984 p
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* Nicolle/McBride 1986 p
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Armor
* Nicolle/McBride 1986 p
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* Heath 1978 p
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* Elgood ed. 1979 p33 (Michael Gorelik, Oriental armour of the Near and Middle East from the eighth to the fifteenth centuries as shown in works of art" p30-63)
"Armour similar to scale was waist-long and poncho-shaped, frequently sleeveless though Arab representations of twelfth-century soldiers in Sicily depict mail coats with elbow-length sleeves. Twelfth-century Egyptian helmets had a spherical bayḍa form, and were probably fashioned from two pieces of iron bound by an iron band along the axis, with round or diamond-shaped plates on the sides of the band and with a felt covering providing protection against the sun."
Sword
* Hillenbrand 1999 p454-455
"Usually, the sword used by Muslim warriors in the Crusading period was straight and made of iron or iron with a steel edge. Swords were identified by their place of origin, and those with blades that came from China and India were especially sought after. ... Abu Shama relates that the Muslims wore their swords at their waist but that Nur al-Din, having heard that the Prophet used to hang his sword from his shoulder with a baldric, adopted this custom for himself and for his army. This statement may well be part of the chronicler's desire to highlight the piety of Nur al-Din; certainly the practice did not become widespread."
* Aydin 2020 p46
"Omayyad and Abbasid swords were straight and double edged. Their fullers stretched from the bottom of the hilt to the edge in the same width. The edges were stubby and did not have the penetrative function. Their length is approximately 86.5 cm. There are no blood grooves on these swords. On most of the bottoms there are one, three or seven golden dots. These dots were generally placed on both sides of the inscriptions and on the ends of the fuller. The golden dots are estimated to be the signs of good luck.
"We do not have definite information about the hilts, metal guards and scabbards of Omayyad and Abbasid swords. Some of these were renewed partially or totally in form since the wooden parts were worn out in the passage of time. These renovations show that the original metal pieces were not used and the handle forms went through serious changes in the renewal process."
* Nicolle/McBride 1986 p
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Shield
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