It seems to me that the use of 'Islamic Arms' as a title has brought forth quite a lot of dispute, much of it questioning whether that particular distinction accurately describes a range of weapons. From what I have seen many of the titles using the term 'Islamic Arms' tend to focus on those weapons from the cultural centers of the Dar al Islam that reflect the traditional forms rather than often indiginous forms often found in its more distant regions. There are naturally exceptions, for example "Les Armes Blanches du Monde Islamique" (Alain Jacob, Paris, 1985) includes chapters including North African weapons from Morocco and kaskaras from Sudan etc.
"Firearms of the Islamic World" by Dr. Robert Elgood is an outstanding reference that includes valuable data concerning these regions as well, as does "Islamic Weapons : Maghreb to Moghul" by Anthony Tirri.
Best regards,
Jim
|