Adarga

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The adarga was a hard leather shield used originally by the Moors of Spain, its name deriving from the Arabic "el daraqa". An important center of manufacture of the adarga was the city of Fez in Morocco, Africa. The adarga was typically made from the hide of the antelope and was extremely resistant to the blows of sword, lance and arrow, but other kinds of leather were used as well. Originally the adarga was round, then heart shaped, then finally it took the form of a pair of overlapping ellipses or ovals, measuring 69 - 80 cm. (27 - 32 inches) at its greatest length. Two or more layers of hide were glued and sewn together to make the adarga both rigid and elastic, and often decorated with incised and gilt ornaments, Moorish inscriptions, and metal appliques and borders.

The adarga was a traditional defense employed by the Moorish light horseman who used it along with the lance. Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries the adarga was also used by Spanish Christian soldiers as well as their own light cavalry ("la jineta"). The adarga was in widespread use until the 16th century and the progress of firearms.

Some impressive examples of the adarga are preserved in the Real Armería in Madrid, while one unique example is made from a large tortoise shell, taken at the Battle of Vienna in 1683 from the Turks, and is preserved in the armory of the Mons Clara Monastery at Czestochowa, Poland. The majority of surviving adargas are highly ornamental with painted decoration and were used by Spanish nobles in tournament cavalry combat, a social activity of the 16th and 17th centuries involving teams of horsemen who launched javelins made of cane at one another that had to be dodged or deflected with the adarga, imitating past battles against the Moors.