"abna" cavalry (or the, "abna' al-dawla"[36]—or even "ayyaran"—literally "sons of the dynasty"[36]), who were the backbone[37] of the Abbasid army (dominating it's military until at least 850[38][39]) who had been recruited to Khurassan in the middle of the 8th century.[40] They had originally settled in Baghdad after the unit was founded, and virtually became identified with it.[40] They were a very adaptable force, talented in fighting both as infantrymen and cavalrymen, although they were famed for the former rather than the latter.[40] They were distinct from conventional infantries in that they were highly skilled, small in number and most of all professionally trained.[40] They were however not well paid (although other historians have said that they were part of the "elite" of society[41]),[42] and would have used infantry weapons typical of their time, being armed with swords, battle axes and shields.[40] The abna would later be overtaken by the use of Turkish troops in the 9th century.[42] Despite this, during their time, they were known to have been excellent lancers, able to fight exceptionally in urban settings such as street to street combat and prisons but also in trenches and defiles (narrow passes or gorges between mountains or hills).[42] The origins of the abna have been a point of debate; either descended from the Abbasid royalty themselves or their clients, or from the native Khurasanis, who helped the Abbasids overthrow the Umayyad's.[41] Other theories claim that they are the descendants of the horsemen of the Sassanid Empire (224–651[43]).[41] The abna also feature in the strategy game, "Medieval II: Total War" (2006), where they are described as "the most prestigious of the Abbasid Infantry Corps".[44] The most well known of the Abbasid forces were thecavalry (or the,—or even—literally), who were the backboneof the Abbasid army (dominating it's military until at least 850) who had been recruited to Khurassan in the middle of the 8th century.They had originally settled in Baghdad after the unit was founded, and virtually became identified with it.They were a very adaptable force, talented in fighting both as infantrymen and cavalrymen, although they were famed for the former rather than the latter.They were distinct from conventional infantries in that they were highly skilled, small in number and most of all professionally trained.They were however not well paid (although other historians have said that they were part of theof society),and would have used infantry weapons typical of their time, being armed with swords, battle axes and shields.The abna would later be overtaken by the use of Turkish troops in the 9th century.Despite this, during their time, they were known to have been excellent lancers, able to fight exceptionally in urban settings such as street to street combat and prisons but also in trenches and defiles (narrow passes or gorges between mountains or hills).The origins of the abna have been a point of debate; either descended from the Abbasid royalty themselves or their clients, or from the native Khurasanis, who helped the Abbasids overthrow the Umayyad's.Other theories claim that they are the descendants of the horsemen of the Sassanid Empire (224–651).The abna also feature in the strategy game,(2006), where they are described as

The world in the 8th century; note the proximity of the Tang.