R-2 Early middle-eastern coat of mail armor. Short-sleeved, long skirts split to the crotch for horseriding and a raised collar. The mail to the upper section of medium weight riveted steel rings, the lower skirts comprised of various interlaced designs, concentric rings, and dotted decoration. The shape of this coat was adopted from mail coats of the Sudan and North Africa. The lower sections of the mail are certainly of origin, and the upper rounded cross-section could also be of similar Mamluk/Turkic origin or North African of a later date. Armors incorporating elements of early Turkish or Mamluk pieces were not unknown amongst those used in the 19th century. A rare and interesting example. II-

See description for I-III scale (III=poor)