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Arabian Heavy Cavalry
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Faran View Drop Down
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Posts: 65 		  Quote Faran Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Arabian Heavy Cavalry
    Posted: 25-Dec-2004 at 19:06

Hello.  I'm interested in obtaining information about Medieval Muslim heavy cavalry.  As I understand, there occasionally (rarely) were Muslims armored like European Knights.

 

Thanks
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Posts: 197 		  Quote Fizzil Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-Dec-2004 at 03:50

IIRC, mamelukes, were armoured with chainmail, there were some sources that say their horses were barded also, just like the byzantine clibinarii/cataphracts. Khorismian cavalry were also armoured, as was Jalaludeens cavalry when he fought ghengis khan (i heard from a chinese source). The turks and mughals also have armoured cavalry.

But as far as arabs are concerned, they did wear chainmail, but not heavy armour like lamellar or that sort.

As far as cavalry comparable to european knights, i think the turkish sipahias were as heavily armoured, also Granadine Lancers and Andalucian knights.
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  Quote Guests Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 14-Jan-2005 at 10:39

 

  Muslim Cavalry can rout any cavarly of the world including Cossacks or other
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 07-Dec-2011 at 19:34

The Arabs were more likely to use light cavalry, although they did have some fully-armored knights like Saladin. In the the Middle East, all you had to do was lure the better-equipped Crusaders into the desert, deprive them of water and pick them off from a distance
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 09-Dec-2011 at 20:31
Arabs also used camels as these could survive longer in the desert than horses. They also provided an emergency supply of meat and water
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Posts: 197 		  Quote Arab Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Dec-2011 at 13:21
While it's true Arabs used camels, it was more common for them to use horses in battle. Camels were mostly used as beasts of burden.
 
As for whether they were armored, usually they were not. The Mamluks were more well known for their well-armored knights. Also, while Arabs did have horse archers, they did not use them to the same degree as the Turks, Mamluks, Persians etc. Arabs would have employed light cavalry instead, and use hit-and-run tactics, ambushing the enemy and then disappearing into the desert where they could not follow.
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Posts: 869 		  Quote Baal Melqart Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 10-Dec-2011 at 14:30
Originally posted by Nick1986

Arabs also used camels as these could survive longer in the desert than horses. They also provided an emergency supply of meat and water


They also scare the living hell out of horses and give the rider a higher platform to spear the enemy. That is the main reason why camel riders were equipped with longer spears.
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25-Dec-2011 at 20:58
That might explain why Arab muskets like the jezail had such long barrels: so a rider could reload from the saddle. I've also read about dromedary riders firing swivel guns while charging the enemy
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Posts: 6084 		  Quote TheAlaniDragonRising Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-Dec-2011 at 12:03
I think I'm right in believing that there was shining armour being used in those areas long before Europe, albeit scale armour, including on the horses at times.
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Posts: 7940 		  Quote Nick1986 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 26-Dec-2011 at 20:49
I seem to remember Ali once used Zulfiqar to kill a giant Meccan opponent covered from head to foot in chainmail
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Posts: 17 		  Quote eurokiller Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16-Feb-2012 at 02:04
The Mamluk heavy cavalry in the 13th century was the best in the world, superior to anything the christians had at the time, but they were Turks for the most part and not Arabs. The Arabs really didn't use heavy cavalry, except for their general's units perhaps.
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