Incendiary and Combustible Weapons in Islamic Art of War: Two Mamluk Masters of Martial Arts: Hasan al-Rammah and Erenbugha al-Zardkash and Their Astonishing and Firing Weapons of War

Abstract

This study focuses on two military masters who served in the Mamluk army
during the Mamluk Sultanate period and the war instruments detailed in their works.
The continuous evolution and development of weapons used in warfare is a historical
phenomenon, with each new weapon capable of altering the course of battle. One of the
most suitable historical examples of this is Greek fire, a naphtha-based weapon credited
with significantly contributing to the Eastern Roman Empire’s dominance over its rivals.
During the Mamluk period, the first Mamluk weapons master to produce and document
war instruments was Hasan al-Rammah (d. 1295). In his work dated in 1285 “Kitāb
al-Furūsiyya wa al-Manāsib al-Harbiyya”, which focuses on military horsemanship
and incendiary and explosive weapons, he describes the construction of various war
instruments. Such military texts are known as Furūsiyya. Hasan al-Rammah set a precedent
for many who followed him. Among these is Arenbugha ez-Zardkāsh, who, in 1373,
authored “Kitāb al-Anīq fī al-Manājik”, a work that describes catapults, the incendiary
and explosive weapons. He also described and illustrated fire pots, gunpowder-loaded
arrows and spears, and clubs. In this study, the works of these two masters and the
devices used in warfare will be examined.