FFW Stock Challenge - Ahu Durquba of Dayr Al-Zawr

A Drawing for the Contest FFW Stock Challenge hosted by the Fantasy Warrior Women > fantasywarriorwomen.deviantart…, using the stock image "Huntress 14" as provided here> fav.me/d5ncvu6

The drawing is based on the drawings I've made for the historically wrong series, based on the historical female warrior from the middle eastern world. The attires and armor utilized a stylized Saracen mail armor with partial/mirror plate and Turko/Tatar style head dress.

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Historically speaking, archery was prominent amongst the female warriors from Africa, Middle-East and Asia. Combined with horse riding, the two skills created some of the deadliest horse archers in the history of warfare, only made obsolete with the mass-application of gunpowder based weaponry in the 14th - 15th Century AD.

The reason being is that, one can kill an enemy from a distance and can retreat easily when the situation is necessary. The tactic may be seen as cowardice in the historical warfare (hence the insult "You fight like women"), however it was a brutally effective fighting tactic and was very practical to use in open-ground battlefield. Fighting from a distance would also mean that these women could conserve their stamina easily and fight for longer. Close pitch battle was generally avoided, as it would put them at disadvantages against much physically stronger men that were more heavily protected and armed.

These women warriors, as depicted above, were not your typical peasants drafted levy or delicate princesses. Mail armors were very expensive, even her bow and scimitar sword would cost a fortune. For example, her sword could easily cost about 15 Male Adult Slaves, a hefty price for the finest quality weapon made at that time. To be able to afford such expensive equipments, only those who came from aristocracy, rich merchant families, or made fighting as their sole profession (Mercenaries) have the financial backing and skills required. To give an Idea of the skill, the strength required to draw her composite bow is the same as lifting a 18kg dumbbell with your right hand, and lifting a 12kg dumbbell on with your left. Do this about 4 times a minute while riding a horse and aiming steadily, you get the picture.