What Did Ancient Islamic Warriors Wear?

The prophet Mohammed founded the religion of Islam in 7th century Arabia. When he died, the Arabs, unified by his teachings, conquered a vast empire. The warriors who served the empire, and the states that followed throughout the Middle Ages, wore practical clothing that reflected their heritage as desert nomads.

Islam

Muslims believe that when Mohammed was 40, an angel commanded him to preach the verses that became the Koran, the Muslim holy book. Every year thousands of pilgrims made the hajj, or pilgrimage, to Mecca and worshiped at the Kaaba, a shrine filled with tribal idols. Mecca's merchants feared that Mohammed's monotheistic message would ruin their business so they began persecuting Mohammed and his followers. Mohammed led his followers to the village of Medina and a civil war erupted. In 630, the war ended when Mecca surrendered without a fight. After he died in 632, his successors, the caliphs, established political control over the Middle East, creating the first of many Islamic empires.

Early Warriors

Mohammed's early Arab followers wore loose clothing designed for the desert. Their basic garments would have included a satin skull cap called a qayah, knee-length under-drawers called a tubban, a shirt called a qamis and a tunic or coat called a qaba. In winter time they wore wool trousers called sirwal and wool tunic called a durra'ah or fur-lined cloak called a jubbah. Headgear included a variety of caps and turbans. In battle, only the wealthiest men would have had armor such as a chain mail shirt called a dir or lamellar armor consisting of small metal plates or pieces of hardened leather laced together in horizontal rows. Head protection would have included a variety helmets resembling metal bowls, caps and even leather strips wound around the head.

Faris

A "faris," or "horseman," was an elite warrior similar to a European knight. By the 11th century the leaders of the various Muslims states were recruiting them from all over the Islamic world. An Arab horseman resembled his European counterpart and wore a chain mail dir and a conical helmet. Some kept cool by wearing a qaba over their armor. His Turkish equivalent wore lamellar armor over a felt jacket and a long tunic, a felt hat trimmed with fur and soft leather riding boots. A Persian horseman wore lamellar armor over his tunic and a conical helmet covered in colorful cloth.

Mamluks

The mamluks were slaves transformed into elite soldiers.The majority were from Turkish tribes. They didn't wear uniforms but could be distinguished from the Arabs by their Turkish style of dress, such as long hair resembling dreadlocks, yellow trousers and furry hats called zamts. Officers were distinguished from their men by belts decorated with gold, silver or precious stones. In battle, mamluks wore chain mail, lammellar armor or mail and plates which combined chain mail's metal links with horizontal rows of small curved plates. Their helmets varied by personal taste. Some wore helmets made of a single piece of steel that resemble pointed bowls, while others use wide-brimmed helmets imported from Italy.

References

• "Armies of the Muslim Conquest"; David Nicolle, Angus McBride; 1993
• "Saracen Faris"; David Nicolle, Christa Hook; 1994
• "The Mamluks"; David Nicolle, Angus McBride; 1993
• "Encyclopedia of World Biography"; Mohammed; 2004
• "The Columbia Encyclopedia; Muhammad; 2008
• My Armoury; Mail Unchained; Dan Howard