- Deus Vult (“God Wills It”) series
- Armies of Islam collection
- 24 Highly detailed figures
- 4 frames
- 24x 25 mm x 50 mm square bases
- Requires assembly and painting. Glue and paint not included.
- Molded in gray plastic.
- Recommended for collectors and hobbyists 12 years and above.
The Black Guard or ‘Abid al-Bukhari were the corps of black-African slaves and Haratin slave-soldiers assembled by the 'Alawi sultan of Morocco, Isma‘il ibn Sharif (reigned 1672–1727). They were called the "Slaves of Bukhari" because Sultan Isma‘il emphasized the importance of the teachings of the famous imam Muhammad al-Bukhari, going so far as to give the leaders of the army copies of his book. This military corps, which was loyal only to the sultan, was one of the pillars of Isma'il's power as he sought to establish a more stable and more absolute authority over Morocco.
The Black Guard descended from black captives brought to Morocco from West Africa, who were settled with their families in special colonies, at Mashra' al-Raml, to have children and to work as indentured servants. At age 10, children began to be trained in certain skills: the girls in domestic life or entertainments, and the boys in masonry, archery, horsemanship, and musketry. Around the age of 16 (on average), the boys that passed their training were enlisted into the army. Considered more loyal than the local Arabs or Berbers because of their lack of tribal affiliation, Isma‘il's black soldiers formed the bulk of his standing army and numbered 150,000 at their peak.
This box contains twenty-four multi-part plastic Black Guard soldiers with their characteristic spears and shields. This kit contains also several accessories to assemble standard bearers and musicians.
