Conclusion

I acknowledge that my treatment of Saracen Archery and Ṭaybughā’s instruction has been wholly inadequate and does not do the source material justice. I doubly admit that I have no standing to speak as an expert on the subject and wanted only to condense and summarize the amazing knowledge contained in the book. My aim has been only to distill his knowledge into a practical and applicable guide in hopes of inspiring novices and experienced Western archers alike to dive into the world of medieval Middle Eastern archery.

We have barely scratched the surface of the absolute wealth of knowledge contained in the book. No space at all was given to what was a lynch-pin of the Mameluke’s battle effectiveness: the horse. There are entire chapters and sections devoted to shooting from horseback and some of the mounted archery sports of the time. There are myriad principles, variations, and adaptations of the archery fundamentals to different physiques and circumstances. There is even discussion of a Draw technique that involves pulling the Draw hand over and behind the head which enables the mounted archer to hit an enemy who is rushing close to their horse. Saracen Archery is a treasure trove of fascinating archery history and it is just as applicable to the art today as it was then. Thanks for reading my guide. I hope you got a lot out of it.


Summary and Tests of the Archer – Conclusion