The KitÃÂb fë maÿrifat ÿilm ramy al-sihÃÂm (), called the Maÿrifa for short, is an Arabic treatise on archery written by Ḥusayn al-Yà «nënë around 1320. It was intended for those entering the archers' guild in the Mamluk Sultanate. It is preserved in three manuscripts.
The known manuscripts of the Maÿrifa are:
In addition to these three, there is a fourth possible copy. There was a manuscript in Alexandria containing a work entitled al-Qaṣëda al-Yà «nÃÂniyya fë al-ramy ÿan al-qaws, which may be the Maÿrifa.
The author of the Maÿrifa was al-Ḥusayn ibn ÿAbd al-RaḥmÃÂn ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Shaykh ÿAbd AllÃÂh ibn ÿUthmÃÂn ibn Abi al-Qasim ibn Muḥammad ibn Jaÿfar al-Yà «nënë Abu Muḥammad al-Baÿlë al-RÃÂmë. This is his name as it appears in Ibn Ḥajar's 14th-century biographical dictionary al-Durar al-kÃÂmina. The nisba al-Yà «nënë, referring to the village of Yà «nën, is sometimes erroneously given as al-Yà «nÃÂnë ('the Greek'). The nisba al-Baÿlë refers to Baalbek and the nickname al-RÃÂmë means 'the archer'.
According to Ibn Ḥajar, al-Yà «nënë was born around 1250. He was last seen alive on 10 September 1324 and was found dead a week later. He wrote the Maÿrifa when he was in his seventies. Besides the Maÿrifa, al-Yà «nënë wrote an urjà «za (poem) on archery. It is found in two manuscripts: Aya Sofya MSS 2952 and 4051. It was written following an incident in Damascus in 1277 or 1278. Another urjà «za on archery is attributed to him or to his son in the Leiden manuscript. It is entitled al-MasÃÂþil or al-NihÃÂya fë ÿilm al-rimÃÂya. Both urjà «zas include a commentary.
The Maÿrifa is "a structured course of vocational training for entrants to, and members of ... the archers' guild." These were foot archers and the Maÿrifa has nothing to say about cavalry archery other than to note that it was practiced by the Mamluks. It describes the requirements of an archer each stage of his professional advancement from mubtadëþ (novice), to rÃÂmë (shooter), naqëb, wakël and ustÃÂd (master).
The Maÿrifa is the earliest archery text to systematically describe which parts of the body should be in tension (almushaddadÃÂt), relaxation (al-mulayyanÃÂt) or stillness (al-sawÃÂkin) at every stage of shooting. This was an influential innovation picked up by all subsequent Islamic treatises on the subject.
Among the practices of the masters that the Maÿrifa mentions is the "art of penetration" (ÿilm al-ikhrÃÂq), in which archers demonstrate their skill by shooting various types of arrowhead through various targets. For example, a challenge may involve putting a head made of hardened leather through a copper plate. Another form of practice was the "art of suspension" (ÿilm al-taÿalëq). In this challenge, an arrow with fragile attachments (such as empty eggshells) affixed to its shaft was shot into a ceiling without disturbing the attachments.