Les armes blanches du monde islamique, armes de poing, épées, sabres, poignards, couteaux (Book)

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Les armes blanches du monde islamique, armes de poing, épées, sabres, poignards, couteaux (Book) by Alain Jacob. Publisher Jacques Grancher. In Good Condition – Delivery time : 2 Weeks Minimum, Some traces on dust jacket – in French.

The generally accepted idea is that before the First Crusade, the countries of Islam were aware of Western military weapons and techniques.

The edged weapons of the Islamic world, handguns, swords, sabers, daggers, knives. Thus, the privileged edged weapons, saber and sword, coexisted from the beginning of Islam, even if the sword dominated at least until the 12th century. The saber, originally from Central Asia, was first used by riders before being gradually adopted by pedestrians from the 13th century onwards, the sword retaining a ceremonial function. Later, the saber became an object of prestige, sporting decorations, inscriptions and Koranic formulas. The dagger experienced the same developments as the saber with a predilection for a curved blade. Another common weapon, the pommel ax for riders, could be handled at the same time as the saber or the sword, and appeared from the 7th century, spreading especially during the Mamluk era in an elongated form with a head crescent engraved with suras from the Koran. Finally, the spear, with a bamboo pole and an average length of four meters, was frequently used by foot troops and Muslim horsemen.

One of the peculiarities of these medieval edged weapons is the frequent use of a very solid steel, obtained from a process originating in India based on the prolonged fusion of fragments of iron with coal, then the quenching and forging of the amalgam created.