Historical Archery in the Arabian Peninsula by Khulood al Shammari

Hendrik Jacobus Vinkhuijzen Collection, NYPL.

Editor’s Note

I am honoured to welcome another guest writer, Khulood al Shammari, to the website. Khulood is an Arabic-to-English translation specialist and has long been a history enthusiast focusing upon Arabian heritage and the arms and armour of the Middle East.

In this article, the topic of historical Arabian archery is introduced for us readers: a rather neglected subject about which little is known for certain with few verified bows and their projectiles available for the researcher to study, even in museums around the world. I hope readers will find it as interesting as I have and that it acts as a gateway to further knowledge. Should you wish to contribute an article to the website please let me know as I am happy to consider submissions.

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Matthew Forde

A modern rendering from an illustration of a medieval Arabian bow.

SAID the poet:

“More dreaded by the dauntless foe
Than any other warlike blow,
Come the wooden shafts which are
Shot with bows that send them far.
They fell his ranks, line after line,
And shower them with death divine.
Piercing through the shield and mail,
They cause the breath of life to fail.”

While archery in sport, hunting and warfare was important before the religion of Islam was founded, the use of the bow only reached its true significance in Arabia afterwards, in part due to the great influence of the Prophet (peace be upon Him) who advocated how essential it was as a skill. Of course, it has been written that he himself owned six bows, named: az-Zawra’, ar-Rauha’, as-Safra’, al-Bayda’, al-Katum and as-Saddad; and also a quiver called al-Kafur which was made of silver and leather.

By the Middle Ages, Arabian archery had reached a peak of development, with the existence of many schools that governed how to construct, maintain, operate and excel with bows and arrows—there was even information given regarding the likely injuries that a user might sustain.

Of these schools, four rose to prominence with each one named according to its founder: Abu Hashim Almawradi, Tahir Albalkhi, Muhammad Alharawi and, lastly, Is’haq Alrraqi. This last name was perhaps the most venerated of the group. As expected, each of these schools offered the adherent different approaches and rules as to how archery should be performed. These included the methods of aiming, how to release the bowstring, and general ‘battle doctrine’.

For aiming, there were three main ways:

The first was to align the arrowhead with the target, use both eyes outside of the bow to focus on the target and then aim solely using the left eye, releasing when the arrowhead ‘disappeared’.
The second method was to focus inside the bow with both eyes, releasing the arrow when the arrowhead reached the thumb.
The third method was to focus with both eyes inside and outside of the bow—the left eye focusing upon the target and then release.

Arrows

As for releasing the arrow, again, there were three main ways: a fast one, which was to draw and release in one movement; a paused one which was to draw slowly, to pause and then to release and, lastly; a staggered technique—which required a partial draw, a pause, then the completion of the draw before release.

Arrow shafts were made from any wood that was light and strong and they were fletched, preferably with feathers from a bird of prey. Arrowheads were more varied and each type was meant to fulfil a particular role, with many overlapping in usefulness:

The long, triangular-section arrowhead was designed to pierce helmets and other rounded metal armour that might deflect other arrow-types. The short version was supposed to punch through shields and armour.
Square-section arrowheads with barbs were shot at unarmoured opponents and prey animals during the hunt, as were wide-bladed, cutting arrowheads.
The short and compact square-headed arrowhead was suitable for shooting against shields, breastplates, and coats of armor.

These heads were affixed to their shafts via a tang and a sinew wrapping, sometimes with natural glue added to the assembly for extra security.

Though the number would change depending upon circumstances, each archer would be expected to carry around thirty arrows in a leather quiver over their left shoulder, positioned so that the quiver itself was easily accessed from the right-hand side so as not to interfere with the archer’s movements during shooting. The bow was to be carried in a scabbard or another form of ‘case’ of its own, on the left side.

Other tools were carried, too: such as a file for the sharpening of bluntened arrowheads, a thumb ring to aid shooting (this was usually made from thick leather but they are also found made in expensive and precious materials), some scissors to adjust or repair fletchings, bowstrings, various spare components and so on.

Sadly, few historical Arabian bows or arrows exist today and so we must look to neighbouring cultures for greater insights, particularly those artifacts that have survived from the Ottoman and Persian empires.

Sources and Further Reading

https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47d9-8046-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

https://muslimheritage.com/first-useful-archery-manual/

Arab Archery: An Arabic manuscript of about A.D. 1500 translated by N.A. Faris and R.P. Elmer, 1945.

https://www.archerylibrary.com/books/faris-elmer/arab-archery/

https://www.archerylibrary.com/books/faris-elmer/arab-archery/docs/xlvii.html

https://www.academia.edu/31578966/Arab_archery

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/273293163_Ottoman_bows_-_An_assessment_of_draw_weight_performance_and_tactical_use

https://muslimheritage.com/first-useful-archery-manual/

https://www.jstor.org/stable/4299635

http://www.tirendaz.com/en/?page_id=316

https://www.wnyc.org/story/opulent-and-apolitical-the-art-of-the-mets-islamic-galleries/

https://www.bow-international.com/features/the-history-of-the-composite-bow/

http://www.xenophon-mil.org/milhist/medieval/bow.htm

http://www.tirendaz.com/en/?page_id=316

https://www.trtworld.com/magazine/in-pictures-holy-relics-of-prophet-mohammed-exhibited-in-topkapi-palace-27424

Thanks to Dr Amritpal Singh for kindly granting permission to use two of his images.

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