Early Medieval Arabs, 8th-11th Centuries AD

These models represent Western Islamic (Bedouin and other Arab) forces from the late Umayyad Caliphate until the Crusades, and in fact many can be used for quite a bit later than that. The Arabs seem to have adopted the turban after the conquests in the east exposed them to this headgear, and these models include some with turbans, while others have the traditional egg hat (which can also be painted as a leather or metal helmet).

These models are suitable for later Umayyad, Abbasid, Hamdanid and other Bedouin Dynasties, Fatimids, Arab Indian, and other armies which used more traditionally dressed Arab troops from around the 8th century on. The Eastern Arab Cavalry is also suitable for Kurds.

There are two poses of each of the heavy cavalry. This was done to provide extra models to designate certain elements as armoured -- Arabs often wore their armour under their garments, so it is suggested that gamers use a mixture of unarmoured and armoured arab cavalry models for armoured cavalry units, and a mixture of eastern armoured and armoured cavalry elements for Kurds and other eastern, or eastern-influenced, cavalry. We recommend using the two armoured poses and one unarmoured pose for Western Arab Heavy Cavalry, and the two Eastern Armoured poses and one Western armoured pose for cavalry like Kurds. Conversely, unarmoured Arab cavalry units could even have the odd armoured lancer mixed in now and then, perhaps as an officer.