Furusiyya
Encyclopedia
is the historical Arabic term for knightly martial exercise during the Middle Ages
, during the Crusades
and Mamluk period
in particular, especially concerned with medieval Islamic martial arts
and equestrianism
. The body of Arabo-Persian "Furūsiyya literature" includes the genre Faras-nāma, which is an encyclopedic compilation of facts relating to horses.
The term is a derivation of "horse". The term for "horseman" or "knight" is (also an Arabic given name and faris
was a name for a Muslim warrior during that period, and the origin of the Spanish rank of Alférez
). It was a concept and noble
art that included the arts of war and hunting, equestrianism
, tactics and strategy, and certain games like chess
(reflection, concentration, skill and moral qualities within that game). The practice was reserved to male elite
(Bashid Mohamed, The Arts of Muslim Knight, page 9). This art was practiced from Afghanistan to Muslim Spain, prior to Mongol Conquest in the East and Spanish Reconquista
in the West during the 13th century, and saw its greatest achievement in Mamluk Egypt during the 14th century.
The three basic categories of furūsiyya are horsemanship (including veterinary aspects of proper care for the horse, the proper riding techniques), archery
, and charging with the lance. Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya adds swordsmanship
as a fourth discipline in his treatise Al-Furūsiyya (ca. 1350).
In a narrow sense of the term, furūsiyya literature comprises works by professional military writers with a Mamluk background or close ties to the Mamluk establishment. These treatises often quote pre-Mamluk works on military strategy. Some of these works were versified for didactic purposes. The best known of these versified treatises is the one by Taybugha al-Baklamishi al-Yunani ("the Greek"), who in ca. 1368 wrote the poem al-tullab fi ma`rifat ramy al-nushshab.
However, furūsiyya also appears to have retained a wider meaning of "the continuing ethos
of manly endeavor of early Islam", comparable to the contemporary European notion of chivalry
. The full range of meanings of the term
includes the meanings of horsemanship, hippology
, and farriery on one hand and chivalry
or heroism on the other.
Furusiyya faris (whether free like Usama ibn Munqidh or slave professional warriors like ghulam
s and mamluk
s) were trained in use of following arms: spear
, lance
, bow
and arrows, cavalry or saddle
ax
(tabarzin) (hence Mamluk body-guards known as Tabardariyya), war hammer, javelin
, sword
, mace
, dagger
, and sabre
. They were also trained in wrestling, and their martial art skills were to be honed first on a ground and the perfected when mounted (Nicolle, Saracen Faris, page 8-9)
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, during the Crusades
Crusades
The Crusades were a series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope and the Catholic Church with the main goal of restoring Christian access to the holy places in and near Jerusalem...
and Mamluk period
Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)
The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt was the final independent Egyptian state prior to the establishment of the Muhammad Ali Dynasty in 1805. It lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid Dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks, Arabised...
in particular, especially concerned with medieval Islamic martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
and equestrianism
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
. The body of Arabo-Persian "Furūsiyya literature" includes the genre Faras-nāma, which is an encyclopedic compilation of facts relating to horses.
The term is a derivation of "horse". The term for "horseman" or "knight" is (also an Arabic given name and faris
Faris
Faris is a former municipality in Laconia, Peloponnese, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Sparti, of which it is a municipal unit. Population 5,269 . The seat of the municipality was in Xirokampi....
was a name for a Muslim warrior during that period, and the origin of the Spanish rank of Alférez
Alférez
Alférez is a junior officer rank also used in Spain, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay. The variant Alferes is used in Portugal and was formerly also used in Brazil. A naval variant, Frigate Alférez, is used in Spain, Dominican Republic and Peru. "Alférez" is often translated as ensign...
). It was a concept and noble
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
art that included the arts of war and hunting, equestrianism
Equestrianism
Equestrianism more often known as riding, horseback riding or horse riding refers to the skill of riding, driving, or vaulting with horses...
, tactics and strategy, and certain games like chess
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
(reflection, concentration, skill and moral qualities within that game). The practice was reserved to male elite
Elite
Elite refers to an exceptional or privileged group that wields considerable power within its sphere of influence...
(Bashid Mohamed, The Arts of Muslim Knight, page 9). This art was practiced from Afghanistan to Muslim Spain, prior to Mongol Conquest in the East and Spanish Reconquista
Reconquista
The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...
in the West during the 13th century, and saw its greatest achievement in Mamluk Egypt during the 14th century.
The three basic categories of furūsiyya are horsemanship (including veterinary aspects of proper care for the horse, the proper riding techniques), archery
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
, and charging with the lance. Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya adds swordsmanship
Swordsmanship
Swordsmanship refers to the skills of a swordsman, a person versed in the art of the sword. The term is modern, and as such was mainly used to refer to smallsword fencing, but by extension it can also be applied to any martial art involving the use of a sword...
as a fourth discipline in his treatise Al-Furūsiyya (ca. 1350).
In a narrow sense of the term, furūsiyya literature comprises works by professional military writers with a Mamluk background or close ties to the Mamluk establishment. These treatises often quote pre-Mamluk works on military strategy. Some of these works were versified for didactic purposes. The best known of these versified treatises is the one by Taybugha al-Baklamishi al-Yunani ("the Greek"), who in ca. 1368 wrote the poem al-tullab fi ma`rifat ramy al-nushshab.
However, furūsiyya also appears to have retained a wider meaning of "the continuing ethos
Ethos
Ethos is a Greek word meaning "character" that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology. The Greeks also used this word to refer to the power of music to influence its hearer's emotions, behaviors, and even morals. Early Greek stories of...
of manly endeavor of early Islam", comparable to the contemporary European notion of chivalry
Chivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...
. The full range of meanings of the term
includes the meanings of horsemanship, hippology
Hippology
Hippology is the study of the horse.Today, Hippology is the title of an Equine Knowledge Contest that is used in 4-H, FFA and many horse breed contests...
, and farriery on one hand and chivalry
Chivalry
Chivalry is a term related to the medieval institution of knighthood which has an aristocratic military origin of individual training and service to others. Chivalry was also the term used to refer to a group of mounted men-at-arms as well as to martial valour...
or heroism on the other.
Furusiyya faris (whether free like Usama ibn Munqidh or slave professional warriors like ghulam
Ghulam
Ghulam is a 1998 Hindi film directed by Vikram Bhatt and starring Aamir Khan. The film was inspired by Elia Kazan's On the Waterfront . It is the second remake of On the Waterfront after Kabzaa starring Sanjay Dutt...
s and mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
s) were trained in use of following arms: spear
Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a pointed head.The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be made of a more durable material fastened to the shaft, such as flint, obsidian, iron, steel or...
, lance
Lance
A Lance is a pole weapon or spear designed to be used by a mounted warrior. The lance is longer, stout and heavier than an infantry spear, and unsuited for throwing, or for rapid thrusting. Lances did not have tips designed to intentionally break off or bend, unlike many throwing weapons of the...
, bow
Bow
Bow may refer to:* Bow , an archery weapon that uses elasticity to propel arrows* Bowing , to lower the head or the upper body* Bow , the foremost point of the hull of a ship or boat...
and arrows, cavalry or saddle
Saddle
A saddle is a supportive structure for a rider or other load, fastened to an animal's back by a girth. The most common type is the equestrian saddle designed for a horse, but specialized saddles have been created for camels and other creatures...
ax
AX
AX may refer to:*Ax * AX register, a general-purpose 16-bit X86 register* .ax, the Internet country code top-level domain of the Åland Islands* Axe, tool and weapon* Åland Islands, ISO 3166-1 country code* Akrotiri and Dhekelia, FIPS 10-4 code...
(tabarzin) (hence Mamluk body-guards known as Tabardariyya), war hammer, javelin
Javelin
A Javelin is a light spear intended for throwing. It is commonly known from the modern athletic discipline, the Javelin throw.Javelin may also refer to:-Aviation:* ATG Javelin, an American-Israeli civil jet aircraft, under development...
, sword
Sword
A sword is a bladed weapon used primarily for cutting or thrusting. The precise definition of the term varies with the historical epoch or the geographical region under consideration...
, mace
Mace
A mace is a blunt weapon, a type of club or virge—that uses a heavy head on the end of a handle to deliver powerful blows. A development of the club, the military mace differs from a hammer in that the head of a mace is radially symmetric so that a blow can be delivered just as effectively with any...
, dagger
Dagger
A dagger is a fighting knife with a sharp point designed or capable of being used as a thrusting or stabbing weapon. The design dates to human prehistory, and daggers have been used throughout human experience to the modern day in close combat confrontations...
, and sabre
Sabre
The sabre or saber is a kind of backsword that usually has a curved, single-edged blade and a rather large hand guard, covering the knuckles of the hand as well as the thumb and forefinger...
. They were also trained in wrestling, and their martial art skills were to be honed first on a ground and the perfected when mounted (Nicolle, Saracen Faris, page 8-9)
List of works
The following is a list of Furūsiyya literature of the 9th to 15th centuries.- Kitāb al-khayl - Abī ʻUbaydah Maʻmar ibn al-Muthanná (died 209 AH) Al-Asma'iAl-Asma'iAl-Asma'i or Asma`i, Abd al-Malik ibn Quraib al-Asma`i was an Arab scholar of the Basra school of Arabic grammar.He was also a pioneer of Natural Science and Zoology...
- Al-sabq wa al-ramī - ʻAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad Ibn Abī al-Dunyā (died 281 AH)
- Faḍl al-ramī - Sulaymān ibn Aḥmad Ṭabarānī (died 360 AH)
- Al-sabq - ʻAbd Allāh ibn Muḥammad Abū al-Shaykh al-Aṣbahānī (died 369 AH)
- Faḍāʼil al-ramī – Abī Yaʻqūb Isḥāq ibn Abī Isḥāq al-Qarrāb (died 429 AH)
- Tabṣirat arbāb al-albāb fī kayfīyat al-najāt fī al-ḥurūb min al-anwāʼ wa-nashr aʻlām al-aʻlām fī al-ʻudad wa-al-ālāt al-muʻayyanah ʻalá liqāʼ al-aʻdāʼ - Marḍī ibn ʻAlī al-ṬarsūsīMardi bin Ali al-TarsusiMardi bin Ali al-Tarsusi was a 12th century Ayyubid writer and expert on military matters. He wrote a number of treatises, including a military manual for Saladin in 1187...
(died 589 AH) - Mustanad al-ajnād fī ālāt al-jihād – Muḥammad ibn Ibrāhīm Ibn Jamāʻah al-Ḥamwī (died 733 AH)
- Al-Furūsīyah wa-al-manāṣib al-ḥarbīyah (The book of military horsemanship and ingenious war devices) - Najm al-Dīn Ḥasan al-Rammāḥ, commonly known as al-Aḥdab (died 1295 / 695 AH)
- Faraj al-Makrūb fī aḥkām al-ḥurūb wa muʻānātihā wa-mudaratiha wa-lawazimiha wa-ma yasu'u bi-amrihā - Yūsuf ibn Aḥmad (known as Sulaymānah), written before 830 AH.
External links
- Furusiyya: origins of a knightly code (Al-AhramAl-AhramAl-Ahram , founded in 1875, is the most widely circulating Egyptian daily newspaper, and the second oldest after al-Waqa'i`al-Masriya . It is majority owned by the Egyptian government....
)