Mudfa

one of the first types of hand fire weapons, used by the Arabs in the 12th and 13th centuries. The mudfa consisted of a metal barrel (tube), with a small diameter, attached to a shaft and mounted on a bipod; it fired a round metal shell called a bunduk (“nut” in Arabic). The charge was composed of a powder-like mixture of saltpeter, coal, and sulfur and was ignited through a cartridge vent with a red-hot rod.