The mangonel duel of al-Bira, 674

In 674 AH the Tatars, thirty thousand horsemen, camped before al-Bira and set up a catapult against the fortress. Its operator was a Muslim ¹.

The people of the fortress set up a catapult of their own and hurled it at the Tatar catapults, and its shot rose high above them. A Tatar operator said: "If God cut off an arm of yours, the people of al-Bira would be at rest from you, for your lack of skill." The Muslim operator took the hint, cut an arm from the leg of his catapult, and fired it, striking the Tatar catapult and smashing it ¹.

The people of al-Bira then sallied out, killed a great number, plundered, and burned the catapults ¹.