'They made a rampart of their saddles'
Editorial contextReinaud quotes Abu'l-Fida's own chronicle of a skirmish before the battle of Marj al-Suffar in 1303, in which Abu'l-Fida fought. A group of Tartars who had dismounted were surrounded and offered their lives; they answered with arrows, made a barricade of their horses' saddles, and fought until every one was killed. It is an eyewitness picture of Mongol soldiers from the other side.
Some of the Tartars had dismounted; we surrounded them and offered them their lives, but they answered our offer with arrows, and, making a rampart of their horses' saddles, fought a fresh battle. They were all killed to the last man.
Working translation
Original wording
Une partie des Tartares ayant mis pied à terre, nous les entourâmes et nous leur offrîmes la vie; mais ils reçurent nos propositions à coups de flèches, et, se faisant un rempart des selles de leurs chevaux, ils soutinrent un nouveau combat. Ils furent tous massacrés jusqu'au dernier.
About Tartars (Ilkhanid Mongol army)
Keep in mind
Written by a victorious enemy commander.
The craftsmen of Damascus marched off to Samarkand
Editorial contextWhen Timur took Damascus in 1401, Ibn Arabshah says he carried off its learned men and craftsmen, 'everyone skilled in any art': weavers, tailors, stone-cutters, carpenters, cap-makers, farriers, tent-makers, painters and decorators, bow-makers and falconers. They were shared out among the army commanders, who were ordered to deliver them to Samarkand. Ibn Arabshah, then a boy, was himself taken from Damascus to Samarkand.
He took from Damascus the men of learning and the craftsmen, everyone skilled and outstanding in any art: weavers and tailors, stone-cutters and carpenters, cap-makers and farriers, tent-makers, painters and bow-makers, and falconers; in short, the people of every craft whatever … He divided these groups among the heads of the army and ordered them to deliver them to Samarkand.
Working translation
Original wording
واخذ من دمشق ارباب الفضل واهل الصنائع وكل ماهر في فن من الفنون بارع من النساجين والخياطين والحجارين والنجارين والاقباعية والبياطرة والخيميه والنقاشين والقواسين والبازداريه وفي الجملة اهل اي فن كان … وفرق هؤلاء الطوائف على رؤوس الجند وامرهم ان يوصلوهم الى سمرقند
About Timur's army and the craftsmen of Damascus
Keep in mind
Ibn Arabshah was among the captives, but wrote some thirty years later and with deep hostility to Timur.
Transcribed from the page image (corpus OCR of this print is garbled); vowel marks and the asterisk dividers of the rhymed prose omitted.
'Their houses are only of cords and canvas'
Editorial contextAs Timur approached Syria, the Mamluk governors rejected advice to make peace. Yazdi gives them a proud speech: other kingdoms fell because their towns were mud and brick, but Syria's fortresses are cut from solid rock. The Tartars, they sneer, live in homes and walls of rope and canvas, meaning tents. The boast was followed by defeat.
Their towns were built only of mud and brick ; but ours are all of solid stone, cut out of the almost impenetrable rock ;… The houses and walls of these Tartars are only of cords and canvas ; while we live in good fortresses, which are of hewn stone
About Timur's Tartar army, described by the Mamluk council of Syria
Keep in mind
A speech composed by a court historian for enemies of his patron's grandfather, not a transcript.
Aleppo, Hama and Damascus fall; Acre tears down its towers in fear
Editorial contextIn his year-by-year chronicle Sanudo notes that in 1260 the Tartars broke in violently and took Aleppo, Harim, Hama, Homs and Damascus, killing every Saracen who met them, then entered the kingdom of Jerusalem and took Sidon, but not its sea castle. The people of Acre, afraid of them, cut down their orchards and threw down the orchard towers outside the walls, even carrying off cemetery stones. The Tartars were beaten by the Sultan of Egypt at Ain Jalut (the 'plain of Tiberias').
The next year the Tartars, breaking in violently, took Aleppo, Harim, Hama, Homs and Damascus, killing all the Saracens who came against them. Then they entered the kingdom of Jerusalem and took Sidon, but could by no means take the sea castle. The people of Acre, for fear of them, cut down the orchards outside the city, and threw the orchard towers to the ground, removing even the stones of the cemetery along with the stones of the buildings.
Working translation
Original wording
Tartari autem sequenti anno violenter irrumpentes ceperunt Alapiam, Harenc, Haman, Calamelam, & Damascum: occidentes cunctos factos sibi obuiam Saracenos. Intrant deindè regnum Ierusalem, capiuntq; Sydonem: sed castrum maris nullatenus capere potuerunt. Ptolomenses verò eorum timore præciderunt viridaria extra ciuitatem; & turres viridariorum ad terram proiecerunt, amouentes etiam lapides cimiterii cum lapidibus ædificiorum.
About Mongols of Hulagu (the Ilkhanate)
A note on this quote
Transcribed from the page image; long s normalized.