Egypt / Syria: Mamluk cavalry. An illustration from the 'Complete Instructions in the Practices of Military Art' attributed to Muhammad Ibn Isa Aqsarai, c. 1375-1400 CE

The Nihāyat al-su’l wa-al-umniyah fī ta‘allum a‘māl al-furūsīyah نـهـايـة الـسـؤل و الأمـنـيـة في تـعـلـّم أعـمـال الـفـروسـيـة by Muḥammad ibn ‘Īsá Aqsarā’ī الأقـسـرائـي ، مـحـمـد بن عـيـسـى is one of the best known works of cavalry training from the Islamic Middle East.

It was compiled during the time of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517), however, most of the book consists of material from earlier works. Some date back to the time of the 'Abbasid Caliphs of Baghdad in the 9th or even late 8th century. The Nihayat al-Su'l itself was compiled following an attack upon Alexandria by Crusader pirates operating from Cyprus in 1365. By that time, however, the Crusaders were a secondary threat as far as the Mamluks were concerned. The Mongols who occupied most of Asia beyond the Euphrates were much more serious.

Traditionally the Nihayat al-Su'l is attributed to Muhammad ibn 'Isa al-Hanafi al-Aqsara'i who is said to have died in Damascus in 1348 after spending most of his life in Syria.

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