Article
English, French
ID: <
oai:doaj.org/article:4adcfd53d15447ae846af94f33b131c2>
·
DOI: <
10.4000/cy.3398>
Abstract
Based upon Arabic narrative and didactic sources, this article highlights the love of the military, scholars and ʻulamā’ for the Arabian horse during the Baḥriyya Mamluk era (13th-14th centuries). Analysis of the data collected shows that they were interested in the steed from the Arabian Peninsula for several reasons. Its physical attributes made it the ideal mount for certain military operations. Men of science would study the Arabian horse and explore its universe, while scholars and ʻulamā’ were especially interested in studying its place in the Islamic tradition. The Arabian horse was considered as a true symbol of jihad as well as the instrument of choice of the Arab-Muslim conquests of the 7th century. As such, the Arabian horse was in some respects a component of the warrior ideology at the beginning of the Mamlūk era.