THE EOYAL AETILLERY INSTITUTION. 
165 
CAMEL GUNS. 
BX 
COLONEL H. H. MAXWELL, ft.A., 
StTPERIKTEIfDEIfT COSSIFORB QUIT FOUNDRY. 
In those parts of Asia where the camel, or, more correctly, the 
dromedary, is the chief beast of burden, and where no made roads 
exist, the “ ship of the desert** has, ever since the invention of gun¬ 
powder, formed the ordinary means of transport of artillery. The 
camel swivel-gun, however, appears to have been of Affghan invention; 
for we find that “ Mohammed Affghani, having crossed the deserts of 
Seistan and Kerman with 15,000 men, for the most part mounted on 
camels, and having with him, in lieu of ordinary artillery, a number of 
camel swivel-guns, on the 8th March 1722, encountered the Persian 
army numbering 60,000 men with 24 guns, at Groul-Nabat within 
ten miles of Ispahan. On the Persians* approach, the left wing of the 
Affghans giving way, the former pursued with ardour; but soon their 
enemy* s ranks open, and disclose a line of 100 camels kneeling down, 
each with a gun on its back. The fire knocking over the leading ranks 
of the column, the Affghan horse charged, and put them completely to 
the rout.*** 
Tahmasb-Kouli-Khan, better known under the title of Nadir Shah, 
the invader of India and the author of the Delhi massacre, introduced 
the camel gun into the Persian service. It was under this famous 
warrior that the camel gun received the name of “ zumbooruk,** from 
“zumboor,** a wasp. After making good use of this species of artillery 
in various campaigns in Asia, the invader of India appeared before 
Delhi with 250 zumbooruks, his 12 pieces of artillery having been left 
at Umballah. 
Since his day, almost without interruption, camel artillery has formed 
a portion of the Persian army. 
Some thirty years back a regular organisation was given to the corps 
of Zumboorukchees, under the order of Hadji Mirza Aghassi, the then 
Prime Minister. 
The gun of twisted iron was 27*6" long, and carried a wrought-iron 
ball of 14 ozs. in weight, and consequently of about 1*8" in diameter. 
* “ Les Zemboureks.” By Colonel F. Colombari. Paris, 1853* 
