Naffatah

A Naffatah soldier

Naffatah was the name given to a class of soldiers employed by the Abbasid Caliphate during the 9th century, who specialized in the use of incendiary weapons.

Description

Carrying a container filled with highly flammable Greek fire and siphons to unleash the substance onto their enemies, Naffatah soldiers were essentially equipped with an early flamethrower that they put to deadly use against dissidents and enemies of the Caliphate. In addition to their flamethrowers, these elite guards also carried incendiary bombs that they would throw at their targets.

Despite their advanced equipment, however, Naffatah soldiers also had one notable weakness. The containers on their backs were not well-protected and the Greek fire inside could be easily ignited by a well-placed projectile, such as a throwing knife, resulting in the guard's fiery demise. As a result, Naffatah soldiers were not deployed on the battlefield and were mostly assigned to guard high-value locations in Baghdad, such as the Great Garrison and the Confiscation Warehouse.

Behind the scenes

Naffatah soldiers are an enemy archetype in the 2023 video game Assassin's Creed: Mirage. They are among the game's rarer archetypes, mostly encountered during story missions or at specific locations in Baghdad. Their name is likely derived from naphtha, a flammable liquid hydrocarbon mixture obtained from the dry distillation of organic substances such as coal, shale, or petroleum. The word naphtah is derived from the Middle Persian naft, meaning "wet". In Modern Persian, naft (نفت) means "crude oil".

Historically, the Islamic World was known to implement naphtha-throwers and projectors as early as the 10th century, as mentioned by the poet and science writer Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Khwarizmi in his work, Mafātīḥ al-ʿulūm (The Keys to the Sciences), published around 976 CE.

Appearances

• Assassin's Creed: Mirage