Archery Techniques in Medieval Manuscripts

Dr. Esra Çıplak, the Director of GESOM, organized a seminar and gave a presentation on "Archery Techniques in Medieval Manuscripts."

In her presentation, Dr. Çıplak discussed the field of Furusiyya, which was the main topic of these manuscripts, using the visuals of miniatures and drawings found in works written between the 9th and 14th centuries. She emphasized that Furusiyya is described as an art and science. Additionally, Esra explained that this science encompassed various disciplines, including horsemanship, equestrian spear skills, close combat, weapon usage, javelin throwing, archery (including mounted archery), hunting, wrestling, swimming, and chess. It also included virtues such as courage, valor, and generosity, along with knowledge related to veterinary science and the art of warfare. She highlighted archery as one of the components of Furusiyya and explained how archery, known as "ilm en-nüşşâb," is described in these manuscripts along with various archery techniques.

During her presentation, Dr. Çıplak provided examples from sources like Abu Muhammad Abdurrahman bin Ahmed al-Tabari's "Kitabu’l-vâzıh fi’r-remi ve’n nüşşâb," Ibn Ahî Huzzam's "Kitabu’l-mahzûn ve câmi‘u’l-fünûn," Tayboğâ al-Beklemişî al-Yunânî's "Buğyetü'l-merâm fi remâyeti'n-nüşşâb," and Muhammed bin Isa bin Ismail al-Hanafi al-Aksarayi's "Nihâyetü’s-sûl ve’l-emniyyeti fî teallümi a‘mâli’l-furûsiyye." She concluded her presentation by thanking our Rector, Prof. Dr. Mustafa Alican, and the participants.

The seminar was attended by Vice-Rector Prof. Dr. Yaşar Karadağ, Deputy General Secretary Uğur İnan Kaki, and students.