Impact of Turkmen Mounted Archers on Modern Warfare
By Dr. Begench Karayev The history of war includes many examples of the appearance of new weapons, revolutionizing tactical methods and overthrowing of empires and political systems. The Greek phalanx, the Roman legion, the armoured lancer, Greek fire, gunpowder, self-propelled armoured vehicles and nuclear missiles all spring to mind. The impact of the mounted archers from the steppes of Asia was probably as great as any of these. The above reflections belong to the British Lieutenant-General Sir John Bagot Glubb, better known as Glubb Pasha, who spent 36 years in the Middle East. In 1920 he was posted to Iraq, where he lived among Arab Bedouins and studied their language and culture. After serving (1926-1930) as administrative inspector for the Iraqi government, Glubb was transferred to Jordan and attached to the Arab Legion, of which he assumed command in 1939. A trusted friend and personal adviser of King Abdullah, he made the legion the best-trained ...