Djerid (weapon)

The djerid is a throwing spear about one meter long, usually with a wooden haft and a small steel head though sometimes made entirely of steel, used for both hunting and warfare by Arab peoples and carried across Northern Africa, Western Asia, Southern Asia, and Eastern Europe. Riders or foot soldiers typically carried several at once in quivers. The weapon became especially associated with the Ottoman Empire, where it lent its name to a traditional mounted game; 19th century observers, including Lt. William Francis Lynch, recorded the Pasha of Jerusalem and his court playing a competitive horseback sport of throwing djerids at one another, reflecting the shift of this weapon from serious combat use toward ceremonial sport. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/