al-Rawḥāʾ, a shawḥaṭ bow known as al-Bayḍāʾ, and a nabʿ bow called aṣ-Ṣafrāʾ.

There is no doubt that Arabian bows suit the Arabs best, while the Persian bow is more useful (1) for today’s armies; both of them are superior to the Turkish bow because of their greater power, toughness, speed, suppleness, light weight (2), and force of impact. The Turks did not originally use these Persian bows, but once they mixed with the Persians and lived among them, they learned much of their dress, apparel, warfare, language, and weaponry.

Section: The Boast between the Hand-drawn Bow and the Foot-drawn Bow

The foot bow said to the hand bow, “I am mightier than you in battle, firmer in frame, stronger in string, heavier in shaft and head (3), longer in range, and more penetrating. (4) I can drive my bolt into the hardest rock and pierce what would splinter both your head and your shaft. Armies flee at the crash of a single one of my missiles, and I rout them to right and left, while I remain screened behind the archer. My roar is like the rumble of thunder, and my fearsome look (5) is like that of lions. No one fears that my back will snap,