ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the military developments that have taken place in the Islamic world from the rise of Islam to the end of the Ottoman empire. The topic of military history, even when only examined within the framework of Muslim society, is vast and cannot possibly be studied in detail within the limits of this short chapter, so we shall merely highlight some of the most important developments that have occurred in the 1,400 years since the first revelation to Muh. ammad. It should also be noted that we will mostly be dealing with military developments at the center of the Muslim world. The military development of the provinces was frequently influenced by local practices and circumstances that led to the use of different tactics and equipment; indeed, at both the center and the periphery the Muslims drew heavily on the military practices and technology of the other cultures that they encountered. It is therefore impossible to make effective generalizations about the military development of the Muslim world as a whole.
