The Armies of Islam : 7th-11th Centuries (Men at Arms, 125)

This book provides information and excellent McBride plates on the armies of Islam from the beginning of the Umayyad Caliphate to the eve of the Crusades, also detailing western African Moorish and Berber armies, and the Daylami mercenaries of Iran.

I enjoyed this book for its history.

good book!

This is another very good book for those who are interested in history.

This volume was my introduction to the Muslim military men of the time of Islam's conquests and pre-Seljuk, pre-Crusades "glory days". It covers a lot of distance in 48 pages, stretching from the Ummayads getting settled in Damascus to the borders of Islam in India and Central Asia to Moorish Andalusia. The Arabs initially did not have much in the way of arms and training, but they were quick learners in the military field, and they took in a little of everything from everyone they met and defeated. This book (along with his Byzantine volumes) made me a David Nicolle fan for life. The color plates are well selected to cover a respective section of the text, and beautifully detailed by Angus McBride, who as usual made his figures look like people instead of mannequins. Nicolle has since written three more volumes which specifically focus on portions of this survey, but it is a good introductory survey nonetheless.

This is a very good introduction to this complex subject. Most learn in ocidental schools of islamic expansion like an united effort, never realizing the enormous amount of political, dinastic and religious infighting in the early islamic world. This work not only shows us the preferred fighting styles of Umayadds, Abbasids, Fatimids, Safavids among others, and the rise of the Seljucids and the Turcoman style of fighting. It also abridges the influences in armour, weapons and fighting style from several neighbours from Iran to Al-Andalus.Filled with interesting facts, it also gives the reader a short description of several battles and raids like 2nd Yarmuk (636); Siffin (657); Poitiers (732); Juzjan (737); Baghdad Siege (812-3); Romes Raid (846); Arbaq (957); Sidon (975) and Zallaca (1086).Very good illustrations by Angus McBride (although not his best), and an excellent chronology divided by areas that really helps situating the events, the peoples and the factions involved.

Another of Dr. Nicolle's excellent overviews of medieval military organizationa and equipment. The soldiers and mercenaries of the Caliphate, the Umayyad, Abbasid and Fatimid dynasties as well as other dynastic and succesor states are illustrated and described. Anyone interested in this period as well as the early Crusades and Muslim Spain will find something of interest. The cross fertilization of equipment, tactics and troop types is especially evident in this work. Dr. Nicolle actually suggests that the kite shield, so often associated with the Normans, could well have come from the Byzantines, via Muslim Sicily or Spain! Cons: insufficient maps. Pros: Angus McBride's beautiful color plates. Thus, 4 stars.

This MAA book was the first and best offering in a long series of Middle Eastern Ancient to Medieval MAA topics by this team. Whereas the facts and text are generally readable and scholarly, these books are enlivened by the initially wonderfully evocative reconstructed drawings of Angus McBride. I note that with later books, the drawings tend to lose their vitality, poses are repeated and even the anatomy appears "off".

Good reference book. Thank you.

Great buy - thanks