Born a slave in the Aksumite Kingdom (modern-day Eritrea/Ethiopia), Fuladh was the son of a concubine. After his father was imprisoned in Baghdad's Damascus Gate Prison
The Seljuk Turks, led by Tughril Beg, were sweeping westward from the steppe. They were fellow Ghuzz but far more organized, with a state, a religion, and a terrifying discipline. In 1051, Tughril Beg demanded that Fuladh submit. Fuladh sent back a single arrow wrapped in silk—a Ghuzz greeting meaning "We are equals, but I will not kneel." fuladh al haami
Some of his notable contributions include: Born a slave in the Aksumite Kingdom (modern-day
The Buyid emir of Isfahan, Abu Kalijar, had hired the Ghuzz as mercenaries to fight the Kakuyids. It was a typical Buyid move: hire wolves to catch a fox, then act surprised when the wolves eat your sheep. Fuladh saw the rot immediately. The Buyids were Persians who ruled Iraq and western Persia, but they had grown soft on poetry and slave-born viziers. Their armies melted like snow in a rainstorm. In 1051, Tughril Beg demanded that Fuladh submit
Islamic Metallurgy, Medieval Arabic, Fuladh, Arms & Armor, Historical Blacksmithing.
"The Khazar swords are soft. The Indian swords are hard but shatter like glass. But the swords forged from Fuladh al Haami—the steel that protects its wielder—these are brought from the mines of Farghana. A strike from such a blade will not notch; it will press into the enemy's shield like a finger into clay."