The war elephant could be a powerful weapon in the field, but when its brute strength was brought to bear during a siege assault it was truly devastating. Although a lone elephant could inflict heavy damage on a unit of infantry or a poorly defended gatehouse, the Ghaznavids were not satisfied by this and developed an elaborate ramming device powered by no less than five elephants. This powerful siege weapon was transported by four beasts while a fifth, controlled by a driver, the ‘mahout’, pushed and pulled the iron-tipped ram.
