Sains Malaysiana 42(5)(2013): 547–552

Anatomy of Wooden Core of Ottoman Composite Archery Bows

(Anatomi Teras Kayu Komposit Busur Panah Uthmaniyyah)

Gokhan Gunduz & Seray Ozden

Department of Wood Science and Technology, Faculty of Forestry, Bartin University

74100 Turkey

Barbaros Yaman*

Laboratory of Wood Anatomy and Dendrochronology, Faculty of Forestry

Bartin University, 74100 Turkey

Suleyman Cem Donmez

Izmir, 35210 Turkey

Diserahkan: 10 Februari 2011/Diterima: 14 November 2012

ABSTRACT

Composite archery bows have been well known and used by Asiatic societies for thousands of years. The Turkish composite bow, made of wood, horn, sinew and glue is one of the most famous and powerful bows in the world. Because of its high draw weight and mechanical efficiency, the Turkish composite bow became a powerful weapon in the Seljuk and the Ottoman Empire. In addition to being a powerful weapon of war, at the same time the bow and arrow (archery) continued to be a sport of Ottoman (sultans, state officials, janissaries) until the late Ottoman period. In this study of the Ottoman composite archery bows in the collections of Izmir Ethnography Museum, a small wood sample was investigated on the basis of its wood anatomy. The results showed that it was made of maple wood (Acer sp) and some of its qualitative and quantitative anatomical properties are presented here. One of the key properties for the identification of maple wood is helical thickening throughout the body of the vessel element. Helical thickenings in vessel elements in cutting surfaces of maple-wooden core increase the bonding surface between wood and sinew-horn. In most of the woods preferred traditionally for bow-making, helical thickenings in tracheids, vessel elements or ground tissue fibres should be taken into account at a hierarchy of cellular structures for elucidating the efficiency of Ottoman composite-wooden bow.

Keywords: Acer; Ottoman; wood anatomy

ABSTRAK

Busur panah komposit telah dikenali dan digunakan dalam masyarakat Asia sejak beribu tahun yang lalu. Busur komposit Turki yang diperbuat daripada kayu, tanduk, urat dan gam adalah salah satu busur yang terkenal dan terkuat di dunia. Dengan berat tarik dan kecekapan mekanik yang tinggi, komposit busur Turki merupakan senjata yang penting dalam empayar Seljuk dan Uthmaniyyah. Selain daripada senjata perang yang kuat, pada masa yang sama busur dan anak panah (acara memanah) telah menjadi sejenis sukan dalam empayarUthmaniyyah (sultan, pegawai atasan negeri dan janisari) sehingga ke akhir zamanUthmaniyyah. Dalam kajian ini busur panahUthmaniyyah dalam koleksi Muzium Ethnografi Izmir, iaitu satu sampel kayu yang kecil telah diselidiki daripada segi anatomi kayunya. Hasil kajian ini menunjukkan busur ini diperbuat daripada kayu Maple (Acer sp.) dan sebahagian daripada sifat anatomi kualitatif dan kuantitatif dibentangkan dalam kertas ini. Salah satu sifat penting untuk mengenal pasti kayu Maple ialah penebalan heliks keseluruhan komponen unsur sel salur. Penebalan heliks dalam unsur sel salur pada permukaan teras Mapel yang dipotong meningkatkan ikatan permukaan antara kayu dan urat. Dalam kebanyakan kayu yang digunakan secara tradisi untuk membuat busur panah, penebalan heliks dalam trakeid, unsur sel salur atau gentian tisu perlu dipertimbangkan pada hierarki sturuktur sel untuk mendapatkan kecekapan busur panah komposit kayu Uthmaniyyah.

 Kata kunci: Acer; anatomi kayu; Uthmaniyyah

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*Pengarang untuk surat-menyurat; email: yamanbar@gmail.com