«Тахиййат»: Сборник статей в честь Н. Н. Дьякова

m 92 n David Nicolle Within the Middle East the importance of the leather trade in parts of pre-Islamic Arabia, probably including various items of military equipment, has been widely acknowledged. In fact this trade might have contributed to the rise of Mecca in the early 7 th century AD at a time when war between the Byzantine and Sassanian Empires greatly increased the demand for what could be called “military leatherwork”. In this context it is interesting to note that the 7 th century Arab jawb may have been a sleeveless leather “un- der-jerkin” with a protective function 1 , while some of the armours made in 7 th -8 th century Najran on the northern frontietr of Yemen were probably also of leather since this was an area famous for other items of leatherwork 2 . On the other hand it is very unlikely that the early Arab-Islamic mighfar coif was of flexible leather, though it might have been partially of leather in earlier times. Leather technology played a major role in the economies of several parts of the medieval Islamic world. It is generally accepted that this technology reached its peak by or during the 11 th century AD, thereafter remaining largely unchanged until modern times. The techniques developed in the Islamic world also spread to neighbouring civilizations, including Europe where, after sig- nificant advances in the later medieval period, they again remained largely unchanged until the 19 th century. However, the majority of such techniques were designed to preserve and then to soften the leather or to make it flexible. Where leather armour, helmets and shields were concerned, the technology was designed to preserve and then to harden the material. The most sophisti- cated techniques included building up layers of leather firmly glued together, 1 Schwarzlose F. W. Die Waffen der Alten Araber. Leipzig, 1886. P. 52. 2 Nicolle D. C. Arms Manufacture and the Arms Trade in South-Eastern Arabia in the Early Muslim Period. Journal of Oman Studies VI. 1983. P. 231–238. Fig. 5. The upper lame and small beck protection from a splinted hardened leather or rawhide cuirass from the Euphrates valley of eastern Syria, probably 13 th or 14 th century. The main ele- ment consists of three pieces, the smaller outer being attached to the central piece by iron hinges ( Qatar Museums of Authority, Doha; author's photograph )