Arab archery

Arab archery is the traditional style of archery practiced by the Arab peoples of the Middle East and North Africa from ancient to modern times.

Release Style

The style of Arab archery described in the extant texts (all of which date long after the Mongol conquests and the widespread use of Turkish Mamluk slaves as soldiers) is similar to the styles used by Mongol and Turkish archers, drawing with a thumb draw and using a thumb ring to protect the right thumb.[1][2]

Arab Archery History

Arab archers used composite bows from foot, horse, and camel, to good effect from the 7th century.[3]

Archery in Islam

Muhammad was quite good with a bow, and appreciated the benefits of archery in sports and warfare. A recurved bow made of bamboo, and ascribed to Muhammad, is held in the Sacred Relics (Topkapı Palace) in the Chamber of the Sacred Relics in the Topkapi Museum in Istanbul.[4]

There are several comments by Mohammad concerning archery in the Hadith. Umm Salama told of Muhammed coming upon two groups practicing archery, and he praised them.[5]

Malik ibn Anas spoke about when at the battle of Uhud, the troops left Muhammad behind, where the archer, Abu Talhah, remained behind and protected the Prophet with his shield.[6]

Uqbah ibn Amir relates how Muhammad said that archery shooting was more dear to him than riding.[7]

Arab Archery Today

There are a number of Arab Archery clubs and societies today. Some practice the traditional Arab archery, while others use Western styles of archery in sport competition and hunting. The main organization is FATA, or the "Fédération Arabe de Tir a L'Arc" of Lebanon, a member of the World Archery Federation. The Pan Arab Games usually have an archery competition, and the 12th Arab Games[8] in Qatar held in 2011 had 60 archers from nine Arab countries compete. The Tuba Archery Club[9] tries to recreate or reenact the traditional archery of the East, which includes traditional Arab archery.

References

  1. ↑ Paterson, W. F. 1966. "The Archers of Islam." Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient. Vol. 9, No. 1/2 (Nov., 1966), pp. 69-87.
  2. ↑ Marcelo Muller. "XLII. On thumb-tips and the various kind thereof, from: Arab Archery, by N.A. Faris and R.P. Elmer, 1945.". archerylibrary.com.
  3. ↑ KUNSELMAN, DAVID E. 2007. ARAB-BYZANTINE WAR, 629-644 AD. Page 53.
  4. ↑ "Sacred Relics". bilkent.edu.tr.
  5. ↑ Volume 4, Book 56, Number 710.
  6. ↑ Volume 5, Book 58, Number 156.
  7. ↑ Book 14, Number 2507.
  8. ↑ http://www.worldarchery.org/OTHEREVENTS/Others/2011/Doha-ArabGames/TabId/1124/ArtMID/1567/ArticleID/470/Successful-Archery-Competition-at-the-12th-Arab-Games-.aspx
  9. ↑ "Tuba Archery". tuba-archery.com.

Bibliography

See also

  1. ↑ Ibn Qayyim al-Jawzīyah, Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr. kitab ʻuniyat al-ṭullāb fī maʻrifat al-rāmī bil-nushshāb. [Cairo?]: [s.n.], 1932. OCLC: 643468400.
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