DBA Armies

III/54 DYNASTIC BEDOUIN 890 AD - 1150 AD & QARAMITA 897 AD - 1078 AD

After Abbasid power collapsed, several Bedouin Arab dynasties gained local control in Syria and parts of Iraq. This list covers their armies. The Hamdanid dynasty ruled from Mosul 890-991 and in Aleppo 945-1008. The Uqaylids replaced them in Mosul 996-1096 and the Mirdassid clan of the Banu Asad ruled southern Iraq from Hillal 997-1150. The Hamdanids distrusted dependence on military settlers from the Thughur military zone on the frontier with the Byzantines and taxed their subjects to finance regular ghulams and Dailami. Other dynasties relied on light tribal cavalry which the Byzantines called “Arabitai”, sometimes supplemented by tribal foot. The Qaramita were militant (originally Ismaili) Shia Arabs centred on Bahrain who attacked the Abbasids until defeated in 976 and who terrorised eastern Arabia, where they were the dominant power until crushed in 1078. Considering the pilgrimage to Mecca a heresy, they massacred pilgrims. All but a few rich armoured cavalry rode camels instead of horses and the rest often fought on foot with man-height shields and long spears or with “enormous wooden bows which few men can bend”. They lived well off the agriculture of 30,000 black slaves and tribute from caravans; and wore pink (or faded red?) textile armour. Reference: Slingshot 256.

III/54a — Dynastic Bedouin Armies 890 AD - 1150 AD

List: 1 x General with armoured lancers or ghulams (Cv), 1 x armoured lancers (Cv), 4 x Arabitai (LH), 1 x Dailami (4Ax) or Hamandid Khurasani horse archers (LH), 4 x thughur (Sp) or tribal foot (3Ax), 1 x archers (Ps) or Hamandid or Ugaylid town militia or Mirdassid peasants (7Hd)
Terrain: Dry
Aggression: 1
Enemies:
Allies: III/61

III/54b — Qaramita Armies 897 AD - 1078 AD

List: 1 x General with armoured lancers or ghulams (Cv), 1 x armoured lancers (Cv), 4 x Qaramita (Cm/ /Sp), 1 x Qaramita scouts (LCm), 4 x Qaramita (Cm/ /3Lb), 1 x archers (Ps)
Terrain: Dry
Aggression: 1
Enemies: