By Fire and Sword II: Azabs with bows

Unlike the elite janissaries, the azabs were recruited from among peasants and craftsmen. These troops were considered expendable. As an irregular voluntary formation they were equipped with a wide range of weapons: bows, sabers, shields, halberds, or axes. Among the azabs, firearms were rare and of poor quality. They were poorly trained and mainly used for frontal attacks or bloody assaults aimed at weakening the enemy. Later they mostly served as garrison for less important border forts.