The greatness of Islam Cavalry

The Army of Islam is known to have a very great horsemen. In the era of the triumph of Islam, Muslim forces soldiers really concentrated on riding and archery skills. Record the history of Islamic civilization, Islamic cavalry greatness has become the key to victory in many important battles.
Horsemen called cavalry, which comes from the Latin caballus and language
French chevalier which means "horsemen". Y Ahmad al-Hassan and Donald R Hill in his work entitled Islamic Technology: An Illustrated History, said, before Islam developed, other civilizations, such as the Byzantine have had a formidable cavalry.
According to al-Hassan, in the first century AH (7th AD) has become a major force of cavalry Byzantine military. Formidable cavalry had also owned the Persians, long before Islam developed. Knight riding Iran, Asawira, said al-Hassan, an army capable of reducing the strength of the larger cavalry into battle than the Arabs.
"Since the early development of Islam, the number of cavalry in the army is still small, especially before the conquest of Makkah," said al-Hassan and Hill. Tioe flat and open terrain, said al-Hassan, very suitable for cavalry. However, the Arab nations, to avoid such a war.
According to al-Hassan, a Muslim army started forming cavalry or cavalry in the days of the Caliphate Rashid. Is the Caliph Umar bin Khattab (power in 31-41 H) which seeks to raise horses for military purposes from various regions. "As a result, there are about 4,000 horses in Kufa. After that, little by little, the Islamic military strategy changed, "said al-Hassan.
At first, the Islamic cavalry not too dominant. Armed with spears and swords, cavalry troops of Islam played a vital role to attack the enemy flanks and rump. Slowly but surely, the strength of the Muslim army cavalry possessed growing bigger and stronger. The cavalry recorded a key victory in the battle of Yarmuk the Muslim army.
Battle of Yarmuk is a war between Muslims and the Eastern Roman Empire in 636 AD Some historians claim, Yarmuk War as one of the important battles in world history, marking the first great wave of Muslim conquest outside of Arabia, and the rapid influx of Muslims to Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia the people embraced Christianity.
This battle is one of triumph Khalid bin Walid's most scintillating, and strengthen its reputation as a military commander and one of the most brilliant cavalry in the middle ages. This battle took place in the reign of Umar bin Khattab, the second Caliphate Rashid. This battle took place four years after the Prophet Muhammad died in 632.
When 'Amr ibn al-' Ash conquest of Egypt in the year 37-39 AH / 658-660 AD, the composition of the military strength of Islam has changed from infantry to cavalry. The greatness of the Muslim cavalry, again evident in the Battle of Talas River in 751 AD between the Ottoman Rashid Tang Dynasty of China. Capitalize kavalery formidable army of Muslim soldiers managed to win.
The win put the Islamic control of Central Asia and began to spread in the Bamboo Curtain country. Muslim cavalry also often got help dri other forces, such as the Iranian cavalry, Asawira joined forces with Islamic conquest of Khuzistan under the leadership of Abu Musa in the years 17-21 AD H/638-642
"This is just one dramatic example of the unification of forces of non-Arab Muslims in the armed forces," said Al-Hassan and Hill. At that time, the Islamic forces also recruit people Khurasan, Berbers and Turks. They keep bringing fighting and horse riding styles typical of each. So that can not be exposed to the typical style of cavalry in a single battle.
Muslim cavalry troop strength growing stronger in the reign of the Mamluks in the 6th century and the H-7 H (to-12 and the M-13 AD), a critical period in the history of Islam. Mamluk or Mameluke means slave soldiers who had converted to Islam. They serve for the Islamic Caliphate and Sultanate Ayyubids in the Middle Ages.
They eventually became the most powerful army and also founded the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt. The first Mamluk forces were deployed at the time of Abbasids in the 9th century AD At that time, Bani Abbasid recruit soldiers from the Caucasus and Black Sea region, and they are at first not a Muslim.
According to al-Hassan, after embracing Islam, a Mamluk be trained horse. They must comply with Furisiyyah, a code of conduct that included values ​​like courage and generosity, and also the doctrine of war tactics riding, horsemanship, archery and also finesse treat wounds and injuries.
At that time, the cavalry is also trained in the use of weapons. Weapons cavalry (faris) Mamluk consists of swords, spears, arrows, shield and mace. Scepter made of iron or steel cube with edges, placed under the stirrups, while holding a spear in one or both hands, not "launched" or denigrated to attack as well as in the west, but it is used to fight on horseback, "said Al-Hassan and Hill.
Mamluk Faris is doing exercises at Tiqab (singular: tabaqqa), which is the name given to the barracks in the citadel of Cairo that made military academy. Training begins when the Mamluk forces reach the summit of glory. Exercises done in a comprehensive and rigorous discipline. In fact, at that time they were not afraid of the cost of riding skill level up a warrior was able to ride a horse without a saddle or a saddle, running canter, and gallop mengderap, flat or jumping. "He (faris-ed) also need to know how to care for horses when sick," said Al-Hssan and Hill.
In addition, the cavalry riding training, should be able to use a horse while archery and spear. At that time, a faris should be able to attack the target from different angles and at different speeds using both arms. Mamluk forces are also highly trained to wield the sword in the same way. These methods are proven success with Mamluk victory over the Crusaders and Mongols.
The greatness of the Islamic cavalry troops were also seen when the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Muhammad al-Fath seized Constantinople in the 14th century AD They previously had to wade through the Strait swim Bospurus (because the rate of vessels intercepted by Roman Byzantine fleet along the coast), after which a horse to tear apart the enemy with arrows attack Insistent tubi.Begitulah, the story of the triumph of the Muslim cavalry.