DBA Armies

The mountainous region of Afghanistan west of Ghazni was ruled by local chieftains including the Sultan of Ghur. They were vassals, first of the Samanids and then of the Ghaznavids, who converted them to Islam. In 1192 they conquered much of northern India, but their Indian possessions broke away in 1206 to form the Delhi Sultanate. In 1215, the Ghurid kingdom became subject allies of the Khwarizmians. Ghurid armies were originally infantry with only a few cavalry, but they later hired Khurasanians and Turkish horse archers and from 1174 used ghulams. Some battles in India were won by massed cavalry. Ghur was noted for the export of mail, “jawshan” lamellar armour and weapons, so at least some troops were well- armed. The front rank of the pikemen was protected by the “karwah” (or pavise), of rawhide padded with cotton wadding and covered with “figured” cotton cloth, hung from the shoulders to leave the hands free and “looking like a wall”. Reference: Al-Hind: The Making of the Indo-Islamic World Vol.1 A. Wink.