Islamic Composite Bow

Timeline

1. c. 700–1000Khurasan and Central Asia · PersiaBetween the 7th and 10th centuries, the Islamic empire absorbed Central Asian steppe composite bow craftsmanship; the laminated horn-wood-sinew structure was standardized in Persian and Khurasani workshops, forming a short recurved bow suited to light cavalry high-speed mounted archery, and spread westward with Arabized military culture.
2. 1141Mosul and Aleppo sector · LevantIn the 1140s, Zengid and Seljuk cavalry used the composite bow for mobile mounted archery, repeatedly harassing coalition forces at Anatolian passes and the Syrian plains after the recovery of Edessa and during the Second Crusade; their range and rate-of-fire advantages were the core tactical mainstay of Islamic armies against heavily armored knights.
3. c. 1250–1400Cairo · EgyptIn the 13th–14th centuries, the Mamluk dynasty established bowyer workshops in Cairo, bringing Islamic composite bow craftsmanship to a refined peak; horn and sinew treatment and the recurve angle of the siyahs were further optimized, continuing and surpassing the Seljuk mounted-archery armament tradition of the 1140s.