Mirror armour, sometimes referred to as disc armour or as chahār-āyneh or char-aina, was a type of cuirass used mainly in Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe; including India, Persia, Tibet, Russia, and the Ottoman Empire. It literally translates to "four mirrors" which is a reflection of how these pieces looked, which resembles four metal discs or rectangular armour plates. Mirror armor was used in some cultures up to the 20th century.
Classic Indian char-aina, also chahar-aina or chahar-ai-ne (the four mirrors), Persian (چهارآينه ), shown with kulah khud helmet and madu shield, Mumtaz Mahal Museum, Red Fort, Delhi India.
Early 16th century Ottoman mirror armour (krug), a distinctively Ottoman protection consisting of large round steel plates in the front and back connected by mail.
Tibetan round mirror plate shown worn over mail on the chest, circa 1938.
Tibetan mirror armour; four mirrors (me long bzhi) with the front and one side plate visible and worn over a mail hauberk.
A cuirass is a piece of armour that covers the torso, formed of one or more pieces of metal or other rigid material. The word probably originates from the original material, leather, from the French cuirace and Latin word coriacea. The use of the term "cuirass" generally refers to both the breastplate and the backplate pieces; whereas a breastplate only protects the front, a cuirass protects both the front and the back of the wearer.
Cuirass worn by a Carabinier-à-Cheval
An Ancient Greek bronze cuirass, dated between 620 and 580 BC
Indian steel cuirass, 17th to 18th century
M1872 helmet and M1855 cuirass worn by the French cuirassiers
