Mardi ibn Ali al-Tarsusi was a 12th-century
Ayyubid
The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin ...
-era writer and expert on
military
A military, also known collectively as armed forces, is a heavily armed, highly organized force primarily intended for warfare. It is typically authorized and maintained by a sovereign state, with its members identifiable by their distinct ...
matters. He wrote a number of treatises, including a military manual for
Saladin
Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi () ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known by the epithet Saladin,, ; ku, سهلاحهدین, ; was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from an ethnic Kurdish family, he was the first of both Egypt an ...
in 1187. His writings have proved an invaluable resource for medieval and military historians.
Tarsusi 1187 military manual describes various throwing machines including
mangonel
The mangonel, also called the traction trebuchet, was a type of trebuchet used in Ancient China starting from the Warring States period, and later across Eurasia by the 6th century AD. Unlike the later counterweight trebuchet, the mangonel o ...
s and
trebuchet
A trebuchet (french: trébuchet) is a type of catapult that uses a long arm to throw a projectile. It was a common powerful siege engine until the advent of gunpowder. The design of a trebuchet allows it to launch projectiles of greater weight ...
s.
In ''On the Social Origins of Medieval Institutions'', more detailed quotes by Tarsusi may be found on the various types of trebuchets.
The well known treatise was entitled ''Tabsirat arbab al-albab fi kayfiyat al-najah fi al-hurub min al-anwa' wa-nashr he manini ahla renoshr a'lam al-a'lam fi al-'udad wa-al-alat al-mu'inah 'ala liqa' al-a'da' '', or "Information for the intelligent on how to escape injury in combat; and the unfurling of the banners of instruction on equipment and engines which assist in encounters with enemies."
[Needham 1986:42]
Notes
References
* Claude Cahen, 'Une Traité d'Armurerie Composé Pour Saladin,' Bulletin d'études Orientals 12 (1947-1948) pp. 103-163 (edition and partial translation)
* A. Boudot-Lamotte and F. Viré, ''Contribution à l'Etude de l'Archerie Musulmane'' (Institute Français de Damas: Damascus 1968) OCLC 2000537 (edition and translation of archery chapters from Murdî Ibn ˀAlî Murdî al-Tarsusî)
*Needham, Joseph, ''Science and civilisation in China'', 1986, Cambridge University Press,
excerpts inline*
Nicolle, David;
McBride, Angus; ''Saladin and the Saracens'', 1986, Osprey Publishing
{{DEFAULTSORT:al-Tarsusi, Mardi ibn Ali
Medieval military writers
12th-century Arabic writers
Technology in the medieval Islamic world