A bow (with a quiver and arrows)

A bow (with a quiver and arrows) is the main weapon of a warrior-batyr of the Kazakh steppe.

It is similar to one of the many variants of a complex bow that existed during the times of the Turkic-Mongolian tribes and the Middle Ages peoples.

It consists of several basic details: the middle of the bow – the handle is made of a solid block of oak, the shoulders of the bow are elastic (reflective) parts between the handle and the ends, covered with leather straps, and the ends consisting of several wooden plates tied with a rubberized thread. The base of the bow is decorated with fur. The string is flexible, fixed at the ends of the body, the length reaches 137 cm to the height of the bow.

The arrows are a rounded shaft, with a plastic “plumage” and metal tips (jebe) with a heel, with which the arrow is attached to the bow string. Three arrows, point down, are placed in a leather quiver decorated with ornaments and fur.

The bow and arrow were a special, sacred weapon for the Kazakh nomads. There is reliable information about the use of arrows in ritual and magical ceremonies as fortune-telling objects. Drawings by J. I confirm the information about the careful attitude to the bow. In the images of the yurt interior a bow, a quiver, arrows with other weapons (a saber, a gun) hang to the upper part of the walls (a kerege).