Civilization Proposal: Arabs/ Rashidun Caliphate/ Umayyads

[Lion.Kanzen]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rashidun_army

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During the 7th century the middle east was dominated by the Byzantine army driven by religous purpose and a desire to replicate the old roman empire. However a new force was rising in Arabia. The Prophet Mohammad had died and the caliphate had formed to expand the reach of the prophet to all of the middle east. 

The Rashidun army served under the Umyyad caliphate. A caliphate is the governing and millitary body ruled by the “successors to Mohammad”. The Rashidun army was well trained and was driven, like the byzantines with a furious religous zeal. In the year 632 the Rashidun army was comprised of 13,000 troops by the year 657 the army had swelled to 100,000 troops. 

The Rashiduns relied heavily on their infantry. They used persian style bows and primarily spearmen to either charge or hold a shield wall against the enemy. The Mubarizun was a special force of the greatest warriors in the arab millitary they were made to undermine the enemy morale by slaying the greatest champions of the opposing army.

During the Ridda wars in the reign of Caliph Abu Bakr, the army mainly consisted of the corps from Medina, Mecca and Taif. Later on during the conquest of Iraq in 633 many bedouin corps were recruited as regular soldiers. During the Islamic conquest of Sassanid Persia (633-656), some 12,000 elite Persian soldiers converted to Islam and served later on during the invasion of the empire. During the Muslim conquest of Roman Syria (633-638,) some 4,000 Greek Byzantine soldiers under their commander Joachim (later Abdullah Joachim) converted to Islam and served as regular troops in the conquest of both Anatolia and Egypt. During the conquest of Egypt (641-644), Coptic converts to Islam were recruited. During the conquest of North Africa, Berber converts to Islam were recruited as regular troops, who later made the bulk of the Rashidun army and later the Umayyad army in Africa.

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Infantry

Rashidun army relied heavily on their infantry. Mubarizun were a special part of the Muslim army, composed of the champions. Their role was to undermine the enemy morale by slaying their champions. The infantry would make repeated charges and withdrawals known as karr wa farr, using spears and swords combined with arrow volleys to weaken the enemies and wear them out. However, the main energy had to still be conserved for a counterattack, supported by a cavalry charge, that would make flanking or encircling movements. Defensively, the Muslim spearman with their two and a half meter long spears would close ranks, forming a protective wall (Tabi'a) for archers to continue their fire. This close formation stood its ground remarkably well in the first four days of defence in the Battle of Yarmouk.

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Arabs used the standard weaponry at the time. Long spears and curved long swords were common among infantry divisions. Cavarly would often use Lances. Shields were made of metal if you were lucky. Most used leather or even elephant skin as shields. Some used persian style wicker shields. Many soliders used leather armour but chaimail became more common as the army became richer. Infantry was more heavily armoured than horsemen. To withstand armoured charges from the byzantine millitary. 

The army was well trained among the regular troops. However any citizen could be called up to fight. They were paid in small amounts and gained more economic support from looting and obtainting random goods from their conquest. The army was under strict discipline and anyone caught raping and killing would be executed. The Muslim leader Khalid ibn al walid took charge of the army and implemented rules and a conduct of war for the troops to follow. Breaking the “rules of warfare” was punishable by your neck being shortened. 

http://historyofhumanity.tumblr.com/post/127971736857/arab-millitary-101-during-the-7th-century-the

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Turban Helmet

The most familiar characteristic of Islamic armor is perhaps the distinctive conical-shape helmets, which, with some variation, are found in most European and Near Eastern areas under Islamic rule. One variation is known as a “turban helmet.” Its prototype can be found in the pre-Islamic

Sasanian tradition

(224–651) of Persia, but its sweeping outline, reminiscent of the domes of mosques, has contributed to this type of helmet being recognized today as decidedly Islamic. Many of the early surviving examples date from the fifteenth century and seem to have been made in Iran and Turkey. Additional protection was afforded by shields, usually of round shape, and constructed—unlike the majority of their European counterparts—of metal.

 

 

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Many of the early surviving examples date from the fifteenth century and seem to have been made in Iran and Turkey. Additional protection was afforded by shields, usually of round shape, and constructed—unlike the majority of their European counterparts—of metal.

 

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Swords

During the early Islamic years, the Arabs sheathed their weapons in baldrics. The use of sword and baldric was consciously abandoned by the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil (847-861) in favor of the saber and belt. But the use of sword and baldric seems to have retained a ceremonial and religious significance. For example, the Zangid ruler Nur ad-Din (1146–74) was anxious to demonstrate that he was a pious traditionalist, searching out the old methods preferred by the Prophet. Consequently, among his reforms he re-adopted the custom of wearing a sword suspended from a baldric. His successor Salah ad-Din (1138-1193), known in the west as Saladin, did the same and it is noteworthy that he was buried with his sword, «he took it with him to Paradise.»[6]

According to David Nicolle, the Arab sword was used mainly for cutting.[7] He cites Usama ibn Munqidh's memoir as evidence, that when Usama was being attacked by a Hashshashin, Usama struck the assassin down.[8] Other stories by Usama add credence to David Nicolle's theory.

During the Mamluk period the saber seems to have been the preferred weapon of the warrior elite but the most finely decorated edged weapons were swords. Swords were used in the most important ceremonial events in the Mamluk period, that is, in the investiture of Mamluk sultans and caliphs of the restored Abbasid dynasty where the ruler was «girded» with the «Bedouin sword» saif badawi. There are no surviving descriptions of such swords but it can be suggested as a hypothesis that the exquisitely decorated Mamluk sword blades now preserved in Istanbul are in fact saif badawi.

The name is thought to be derived from the Persian word shamshēr which literally means “paw claw,” due to its long, curved design. The word has been translated through many languages to end at scimitar. In the Early Middle Ages, the Turkic people of Central Asia came into contact with Middle Eastern civilizations through their shared Islamic faith. Turkic Ghilman mamelukes serving under the Umayyad and Abbasid Caliphates introduced "kilij" type sabers to all of the other Middle Eastern cultures. Previously, Arabs and Persians used straight-bladed swords such as the earlier types of the Arab saif, takoba and kaskara.

During Islamization of the Turks, the kilij became more and more popular in the Islamic armies. When the Seljuk Empire invaded Persia and became the first Turkic Muslim political power in Western Asia, kilij became the dominant sword form. The Iranian shamshir was created during the Turkic Seljuk Empire period of Iran.

The term سَيْف saif in Arabic can refer to any Middle Eastern (or North African, South Asian) curved sword. The Arabic word might be derived from the ancient Greek xiphos, but not necessarily as it may have entered Arabic from another source, as both saif and xiphos go back to an old (Bronze Age) wanderwort of the eastern Mediterranean, of unknown ultimate origin. Richard F. Burton derives both words from the Egyptian sfet.^[3]

The English term scimitar is attested from the mid-16th century, derives from either the Middle French cimeterre (15th century) or from the Italian scimitarra. The ultimate source of these terms is unknown. Perhaps they are corruptions of the Persian shamshir, but the OED finds this explanation "unsatisfactory".

 

 

Ghilman

 

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Ghilman (singular Arabic: غُلاَم‎ ghulām ,^{[note 1]} plural غِلْمَان ghilmān )^{[note 2]} were slave-soldiers and/or mercenaries in the armies of the Abbasid, Ottoman, Safavid, Afsharid and Qajar empires.

History

Ghilman were introduced to the Abbasid Caliphate during the reign of al-Mu'tasim (r. 833–842), who showed them great favor and relied upon them for his personal guard. The ghilman were slave-soldiers taken as prisoners of war from conquered regions or frontier zones, especially from among the Turkic people of Central Asia and the Caucasian peoples (Turkish: Kölemen). They fought in bands, and demanded high pay for their services.^[1] They were opposed by the native Arab population, and riots against the ghilman in Baghdad in 836 forced Mu'tasim to relocate his capital to Samarra. The ghilman rose rapidly in power and influence, and under the weak rulers that followed Mu'tasim, they became king-makers: they revolted several times during the so-called "Anarchy at Samarra" in the 860s and killed four caliphs. Eventually, starting with Ahmad ibn Tulun in Egypt, some of them became autonomous rulers and established dynasties of their own, leading to the dissolution of the Abbasid Caliphate by the mid-10th century.

A Ghulam was trained and educated at his master's expense and could earn his freedom through his dedicated service. Ghilman were required to marry Turkic slave-women, who were chosen for them by their masters.^[2] Some ghilman seem to have lived celibate lives. The absence of family life and offspring was possibly one of the reasons why ghilman, even when attaining power, generally failed to start dynasties or proclaim their independence. The only exception to this was the Ghaznavid dynasty of Afghanistan.

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by Lion.Kanzen

[Guest]

One can get inspiration from the AoE2 Saracen campaign illustrations, no?

[Stan`]

What should be deleted ?

[Lion.Kanzen]

Just now, stanislas69 said:

What should be deleted ?

I double posted the second ,  the pictures still remain.

[Stan`]

Done.

[Lion.Kanzen]

I have problem with my internet.

 

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Reconstructing the military equipment of early Muslim armies is problematic. Compared with Roman armies—or, indeed, later medieval Muslim armies—the range of visual representation is very small, often imprecise and difficult to date. Physically very little material evidence has survived and again, much of it is difficult to date

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The Arab sword, sometimes called a Saif (سيف) or a Shamshir depending on the era, has its origins in Arabia in the 7th century. Not much is known about this particular weapon, other than what Al-Kindi wrote in his treatise On Swords in the 9th century.

Additional protection was afforded by shields, usually of round shape, and constructed—unlike the majority of their European counterparts—of metal.

The sword was the most prestigious weapon of the early Muslims. High quality swords were made in Yemen from Indian wootz steel.,^[6] while inferior swords were made throughout Arabia. Both the short Arab swords (similar to the Roman gladius) and Sassanid long swords were used and Rashidun horsemen as well as foot soldiers were often described as carrying both at the same time. All swords hung from a baldric. Another personal weapon was the dagger, a weapon used only as a last resort.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arab_sword

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Muslim headgear included gilded helmets—both pointed and rounded—similar to that of the silver helmets of the Sassanid Empire. The rounded helmet, referred to as ‘’Baidah’’ ("Egg"), was a standard early Byzantine type composed of two pieces. The pointed helmet was a segmented Central Asian type known as ‘’Tarikah’’. Mail armour was commonly used to protect the face and neck, either as an aventail from the helmet or as a mail coif like how it was used by Romano-Byzantine armies since 5th century. The face was often half covered with the tail of a turban that also served as protection against the strong desert winds.

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Middle Byzantine and quasi-Byzantine art often shows such helms as having a panel of neck protection vertically striated and sometimes also divided in various ways horizontally. Many people interpret these as pteruges or scales. While that is possible, the heavy used of padding by the middle Byzantine military suggests such material as an interpretation which in practice is more comfortable and at least as protective. This interpretation is supported by one very unusual picture which shows a helmed man from three-quarter face whose helm hanging is particularly thick.

 

 

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Another example of what seems to be a distinctively Roman style is the tenth-century helm found at Yasenovo in Bulgaria. Its horizontally divided construction is corroborated in the Madrid Skylitzes manuscript and others actually from Constantinople, while the reinforcing ridges offset from the centre line remind one of the innovations applied to Roman infantry helms in the third century to counter the effects of the Dacian falx. The mail hanging is supported through the slots by a wire running around in side the rolled brim in the same manner as some surviving Caucasian helms (See below). The replica has closer slotting than the original. As is further discussed elsewhere, this type of mail hanging is characteristic of heavy cavalry helms.

 

http://www.levantia.com.au/helms.html

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Hardened leather scale or lamellar armour was produced in Yemen, Iraq and along the Persian gulf coast. Mail armour was preferred and became more common later during the conquest of neighbouring empires, often being captured as part of the booty. It was known as Dir, and was opened part-way down the chest. To avoid rusting it was polished and stored in a mixture of dust and oil.^[4] Infantry soldiers were more heavily armoured than horsemen.

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Ghulams -
The story of an entrenched military caste like the mamluks/ghulams/ghilmans in Islamic societies begins with the ninth century Abbasid Caliphate..The earliest ghulams were prisoners of war,but these were replaced by the custom of purchasing young turkish boys who would be more malleable.A Ghulam was trained and educated at his master's expense and could earn his freedom through his dedicated service.

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Bows

Bows were locally made in various parts of Arabia; the most typical were the hijazi bows. It could be one piece of wood or two pieces joined together back to back. The maximum useful range of the traditional Arabian bow used to be about 150 meters. Early Muslim archers were infantry archers.

 

 

 

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by Lion.Kanzen

[wackyserious]

A similar entity to Hellenistic military colonies

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jund

[wackyserious]

Keywords in the Osprey article were

1.) Long spears (2 meters)

2.) Short swords (Almost similar to the roman gladius and hung on the shoulder and not the hips)

3.) Bows (Heavy reliance on archers)

Spears and bows are the ideal weapons according to Islamic tradition.

[Lion.Kanzen]

29 minutes ago, wackyserious said:

Keywords in the Osprey article were

1.) Long spears (2 meters)

2.) Short swords (Almost similar to the roman gladius and hung on the shoulder and not the hips)

3.) Bows (Heavy reliance on archers)

Spears and bows are the ideal weapons according to Islamic tradition.

Sassanid and East influence, chainmail, conic helmet, lamellar, Turk auxiliars. macemans, camel riders(yayyy)

[Lion.Kanzen]

 

 

Adarga shirld.

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The adarga was a hard leather shield used originally by the Moors of Spain, its name derived from the Arabic "al-daraqa" ("shield"). An important center of manufacture of the adarga was the city of Fes, Morocco. The adarga was typically made from the hide of the antelope (probably the Arabian Oryx) and was extremely resistant to the blows of sword, lance and arrow, but other kinds of leather were used as well. Inside, in the center, was a pair of leather grips held in the hand or strapped to the forearm with a small cushion beneath to absorb impact. Originally the adarga was round, then heart shaped, then finally it took the form of a pair of overlapping ellipses or ovals, measuring 69–80 cm (27–31.5 in) in the long axis. Two or more layers of hide were glued and sewn together to make the adarga both rigid and elastic, and often decorated with incised and gilt ornaments, Moorish inscriptions, and metal appliques and borders.^[1]

The adarga was a traditional defense employed by the Moorish light horseman, who used it along with the lance

 

 

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The Rashidun cavalry was one of the most successful light cavalry forces, provided it was competently led. It was armed with lances and swords. Initially, the cavalry was used as a reserve force, with its main role being to attack the enemy once they were weakened by the repeated charges of the infantry. The cavalry would then make flanking or encircling movements against the enemy army, either from the flanks or straight from the center, most likely using a wedge-shaped formation in its attack. Some of the best examples of the use of the cavalry force occurred under the command of Khalid ibn Walid in the Battle of Walaja against the Sassanid Persians and in the Battle of Yarmouk against the Byzantines. In both cases the cavalry regiments were initially stationed behind the flanks and center. The proportion of cavalry within the Rashidun forces were initially limited to less than 20% due to the inability of the poor economic condition and arid climate of the Arabian Peninsula to support large numbers of warhorses. As the wealthy lands of the Near East were conquered, many Arab warriors acquired horses as booty or tribute, so that by the end of the Rashidun period half of the "Jund" forces were composed of cavalry. Mounted archery was initially not used by the Rashidun cavalry unlike their Byzantine and Persian opponents, this not being a traditional Arab fighting method. As the conquest of Persia progressed, some Sassanid gentry converted into Islam and joined the Rashidun cause; these "Asawira" were very highly regarded due to their skill as heavy cavalrymen as well as mounted archers.

 

Turks auxiliares slaves.

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by Lion.Kanzen

[Genava55]

[Lion.Kanzen]

14 minutes ago, Genava55 said:

I'm  still finding these Turs shields but nothig. Adarga was placed

[Lion.Kanzen]

im obsesed with this shield.

WIP.

metalic or solid shield (matte finish)?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matte

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Lion.Kanzen

[Genava55]

1 hour ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

metalic or solid shield (matte finish)?

Probably the leather. You can have very nice colors by working on leather.

https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22816/lot/97/

1 hour ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

 

Nice work, well done. If you want to use it for the faction's symbol, maybe we should add an islamic motif? There are some interesting writting in the coins of this period:

https://www.davidmus.dk/en/collections/islamic/dynasties/umayyads

[Lion.Kanzen]

These?

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Nice reference.

Edited November 8, 2018 by Lion.Kanzen

[Sundiata]

@Lion.Kanzen, nice... I was thinking that the Shahada, the testimony of faith, would be supremely appropriate for the Umayyads, who featured it frequently on the earliest Islamic coins. Something like: 

لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا ٱلله مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ ٱلله

lā ʾilāha ʾillā llāh muḥammadun rasūlu llāh

"There is no god but God. Muhammad is the messenger of God."

Umayyad coins featuring the Shahada:

Spoiler

 

[Sundiata]

13 minutes ago, Genava55 said:

Nice work, well done. If you want to use it for the faction's symbol, maybe we should add an islamic motif? There are some interesting writting in the coins of this period:

Ha, mentioning the same thing at the same time. Weird...

[Lion.Kanzen]

So coin emblem like Athenians and Ptolemies?

the problem is the arabic symbols im not sure how make it. are more complex than far asian. if you help me with drawings i can make it realistic.

edit2

This is more clear.

 

Edited November 8, 2018 by Lion.Kanzen

[Sundiata]

Just now, Lion.Kanzen said:

if you help me with drawings i can make it realistic.

I could definitely give it a shot, but give me a few days  

[Genava55]

21 minutes ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

.

Beware it is a 19th century Indian shield ;-) It is just an example of what can be done with leather and painting.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Just now, Genava55 said:

Beware it is a 19th century Indian shield ;-) It is just an example of what can be done with leather and painting.

Yes, the center look indian art. is the red part what you are meaning.

[Genava55]

5 minutes ago, Lion.Kanzen said:

the problem is the arabic symbols im not sure how make it. are more complex than far asian. if you help me with drawings i can make it realistic.

It is maybe easier to copy the pattern of one of the coins. Like this we use historical material with early arabic writing.

[Lion.Kanzen]

Ok but later,  4 a.m here.

[Lion.Kanzen]

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The Umayyad Caliphate

When Ali, the fourth caliph and last Islamic religious and political leader with close personal ties to the prophet Muhammad, died in 661, the Arab governor in Syria seized power. Muawiya came from the Umayya clan in Mecca and founded the first hereditary Islamic dynasty, the Umayyads.

The Umayyads continued the rapid conquest of new territories, and the caliphate reached a size that has never been surpassed by a single Islamic realm. The Muslim armies invaded Afghanistan and penetrated into the Indus Valley in northern India and far into Central Asia to China’s borders. In the west, they took all of North Africa, occupied the Iberian Peninsula, and continued on expeditions deep into central France. They maintained pressure on the Byzantine Empire, both on the Mediterranean Sea and on land. Islamic armies invaded Anatolia and besieged Constantinople, but were later forced back to eastern Anatolia.

The center of the Umayyad Caliphate was Damascus, where the caliph resided. The language of the court, the civil service, and the religious class was Arabic, but the realm was administered according to principles adopted from the Byzantine and Sasanian empires. Partly because of conflicts among the Arab tribes, the realm did, however, lack internal stability, and for periods it was virtually in a state of civil war.

The Umayyads took many features from the territories that they had conquered, but a new Islamic culture also slowly began to take form. At the same time, the realm’s new subjects adopted the Arabic language and Islam. A powerful symbol of the new empire was the development of a special Islamic coinage. Large-scale building projects, such as the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem and the Great Mosque in Damascus, demonstrated the Umayyads’ artistic and political ambitions. They were built on sites where the temples and churches of other religions had stood before, and were embellished with extensive mosaic decorations and monumental Koranic sayings. The Umayyads’ palaces and hunting lodges in Syria were also richly ornamented, both inside and out. Sculptures and murals with princes and dancing girls show that rulers led a life of luxury in these “desert palaces.”

Apart from architecture, there are few artistic remains from the Umayyad period, and they are closely related to Late Antique, Byzantine, and Sasanian art. Works of art are often embellished with figurative elements such as animals and plants, frequently found as parts of large decorative patterns.

 

[wackyserious]

Might I also add, white was the color of the Umayyads according to the Osprey article. On the other hand, black was the color of choice for the Abbasids.