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Mongolian armour, like its Chinese counterpart, has a long history. Mongolian armour drew its influence from Chinese and Middle East styles. Most Mongolian armour was of scale and lamellar variety. Most armour was made of hardened leather and iron, lanced together onto a fabric backing, sometimes silk. Mail armour was also sometimes used, but was rare, because mail didn't offer very much protection against powerful bows that the Mongols used. Mongol archers demanded the armour to be light enough so that when riding, it didn't interfere with their mobility. Sometimes arm protection was removed so that a rider could draw their bow. The helmet was made of mostly iron, but leather and other materials were also used.
Genghis Khan was once said to have issued all his horsemen with silk vests, as an arrow hitting silk does not break it but ends up embedded in the flesh wrapped in silk, allowing the arrow to be removed by gently teasing the silk open, as opposed to the usual method of removing barbed arrows, cutting them out or pushing then right through an injured limb and out of the other side.
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