ORIENTA L TRA NSLA TION F UND '

N EW S ERIES

X X V VOL.

A N A CC OU N T O F TH E

OTTOMAN CONQUEST OF EGYP T ,

Y EA R M ) 1 5 1 6 IN TH E ( . )

TRA NSL A TED FR OM TH E TH IRD VOL UM E OF TH E ‘ A RABIC CH R ONICL E OF M UH AM M ED IB N A H M ED

YA A - IB N I S , N E YE WITNESS OF TH E S CENE S H E DES CRIB ES

B Y’

L 1 E - L N EL W H L . . SA M ON UT CO O .

P RINTED A N D P UB L ISH ED U N D ER T H E P ATRONAGE O F

T H E ROYA L A SIA TIC SOCIETY

A N D SOL D AT

7 4 G R SVE R REE L D 1 O NO ST T , ON ON, W .

1 9 2 1 ST EP H EN A UST IN A N D SO NS LT D ,

P R INT ERS H ERTFOR D . , F OREW ORD

TH IS translation was undertaken at the suggestion of

Mar oliouth Professor g , and was almost completed when the M outbreak of the Great War consigned the S. to a drawer for five years .

Strangely enough , this War , which seemed to have

all - obliterated other war stories , has brought the places mentioned by Ibn Iyas into fresh prominence ; Damascus ,

and rn Hamah , Aleppo, Ho s , with Gaza and the routes from

Syria to Egypt , have become familiar to us in our daily papers . The barbaric splendours and appalling cruelties in the m narrative seem to belong to remote times ; as a atter of fact , VIII V it was the age of Henry and Francois I , of Charles n and Luther , but the conquering Turk took no accou t of the

Renaissance or the Reformation . Even at the present time the bul k of th e nation seems to remain much as it was four

r centu ies ago .

Mar oliouth My best thanks are due to Professor g , of Oxford , C A . f n and to Mr . . Storey of the India O fice for the ki d help they have given me in the solution of many difficulties .

S LM . W . H . A ON 57 H OLL N P A K A D R , L O DO W . l . N N , l 1 92 1 .

IN TROD U CTIO N

DURING the years which have elapsed since the trans lator of the following pages undertook his task the countries which the Sul tan Seli m I in his Eastern campaigns annexed to the Ottoman Empire have through the fortune of war been withdrawn from it , and Egypt , after four centuries of dependence , has again become the seat of a Sultanate . n These extraordi ary events , which were not anticipated when the work was begun , lend a special interest to a detailed and contemporary account of the victory which brought

Egypt with its dependencies under Ottoman rule . The sto ry was toid by von Hammer in his Geschichte des 1 Osma ni schen Reiclws mainly after Turkish and European 2 s ki chte der ha lz en . Gesc C authoritie , and by G Weil , in his f , after Ibn Iyas and another contemporary Arabic account . Zinkeisen in his admirable Ottoman history followed von

me luke or la ve D nast . M a S Hammer , and Sir W Muir , in his y y o E t u f gyp , was dependent on Weil . The very brief acco nt in the latest Ottoman history on a large scale 3 rests apparently on the statements of European witnesses .

The work of Ibn Iyas which Weil used in MS . was published 1 1 1 Boul a A H . 3 m . in three volumes at the Govern ent Press , k, ’ ‘ ’ ‘ 1 31 2 1 893 It is called Bada i al - z uhar f i waqci i al - dubti -r , and is one of four works by the same author; all of 4 o which are preserved . N biography of its author appears to have been discovered , but a little can be gleaned from his 5 writings about his family and his career . He informs us that ‘ 6 Rab i ii 852 8 he was born on Saturday , (June , so

1 V i i l . o oo k i e st 1 828 . , b xx v , P , V l o . ch s. xxi ii St a rt 1 862 . v , , xx , uttg , 3 N i - 4 1 a . J o r a Geschi chte d es Osm a ni achen Re ches i i . 336 G ot g , , , pp , h , l 9 9 . P W uste nfe ld i t hr ciber N o . 5 13 B rock e lmann i i 295 , G esch ch sc , ; , , ; ’ Vol le rs i n R — ev ue d E te 1 895 . 5 44 3 gyp , , pp 7 . 5 Se e e s e ia V i i 1 44 . o ll e rs l . o p c lly , . , v iii INTROD UCTION

in 922 that , when the events recorded in the extract took place ,

- f he was seventy (lunar) years old . His great grand ather , the

‘ ‘ i Iz d omir i i Khaz ind ar Am r Umar Nasir , known as the , after i ‘ having been Am r Silah, was made by the Sultan Sha ban V 1 iceroy of Tripoli . Presently he was transferred to Halab , 2 and in 768 recalled and again made Amir Silah . He was é imprisoned for a time during an meute in Cairo , but was “ a rele sed and appointed governor of Damascus , but died before he could start in This person had originall y been

m i Sh aikh o a slave , and sold by the same erchant as th e Am r ,

’ i i m sbahs whom he succeeded as Am r S lah in 757 . Of his

i i to i Nas r is likely to refer the Sultan of that name , and Saif to his son the Sultan Saif al - d in ; he was then a Circassian slave , purchased by the first of these sovereigns and manumitted by the second . Ibn Iyas appears to say nothing of his father or grandfather, but mentions that his sister

Kurkmas was married to one , an Amir Akh ur of the fourth ‘ ’ i class , who was called Ala , and died in battle in the year

He names among his shaikhs the famous polygraph ,

al - d in Su fi i Jalal y t , for whom he appears to have felt no 4 ‘ al - i anefite great respect , and Abd Basit b . Khal l the H , 5 whose history (preserved in MS . ) he cites . He himself s belonged to the ame legal school , and had the honourable

Zairi al - d in al - d in title or Shihab . o n 928 The Chr nicle termi ates at the end of , and its com

o p sition seems to have occupied a number of years . Thus a 1 9 0 . Ab i passage in II, , where it is stated that Ahmad b ‘ i Sa d is still on the Timurid throne , must have been written 899 n 6 not later than , when the reign of that prince termi ated , and one of the existing MSS . bears a colophon , wherein the author asserts that the volume was finished on 1 5 Muh arram

1 i 2 1 3 A . H . 764 . Fo r th e i t e s i n th e e se e Van B e rcli e m “ , , t l t xt , ‘ M a téri a ux our un Cor us Inacr i ti n m o u . 45 1 . p p p , p 2 3 i i 2 2 1 . n 1 4 4 , , . i i 1 1 9 , , 2 7 1 , 307 , 339 , 392 .

i i 1 04 1 05 W s e l e o . N O . 50 8 . , , ; u t nf ld , . , Vol l e r s se e m s to a o r h v e v e l ook e d th i s. I NTROD UCTION i x

9 15 5 (May , This volume ends with the events of 9 12 . r For the period for which he is a contempora y authority , n n his work co sists in the main of a court circular, recordi g the doings of the sovereign and the decorations which he confers ; in this it resembles some of the chronicles of the

Moghul Emperors . Into this framework various memorabilia

i Of ui are ntroduced , chiefly Obituaries disting shed men , but also public calamities , the movements of the market , and

’ ca uses celébres ; to this last -category belongs the discussion

al - of the orthodoxy of the poet Ibn Farid, which occupies much space . At times contemporary verses , serious or

- satirical , are inserted . The composition of the court circular n f must have been the busi ess of some of icial , as also the preservation of the notices ; ‘ it is possible that Ibn Iyas himself was employed by the gov ernment to discharge these d l r uties , and this is rendered ikely by the fact that he f equently in cites his own poems , some of them encomia on men power , which are likely to have been composed in some official capacity . There 1 8 one feature about his history which counts as a d 2 efect with Oriental critics , but as a merit among Western scholars it is that it is written in a language which embodies much of the vernacular of the time , and in consequence is of value for the history of the Arabic language and the develop m the i ent of Cairene dialect . Some of the expressions nto which the author d rOps are still characteristic of the patois of Cairo many phrases not as yet registered in any dictionary appear to be characteristic of the time . Some help for the under standing Of such of them as are political techni calities is afford ed by the two works on the Marnl ii k state which have n been published , but these leave much unexplai ed . The suddenness wherewith the great Egyptian Sultanate collapsed before the Ottoman arms is the most impressive l i n feature in the fo low ng arrative , and the explanation of it W e i l . c . V v i l , , , . 2 ’ ’ ' - Se c ( l r i Za id an s Ta r i kh Ad d ') a l l u ha h a l i i i 2 9 8 . u g g , X I NT RO D UCTION is perhaps to be found in the general course of Egyptian and Ottoman history rather than in the events which Ibn Iy'as here records . The Maml uk system produced a considerable i number of em nent rulers , and , indeed , the mode of appoint n ment was one calculated to bri g talented men to the front .

Still their rule was foreign military occupation , which was backed by no popular enthusiasm or loyalty . Ability to speak the Arabic language appears to have been exceptional in the case of these Sultans , whence the substitution of an Ottoman Pasha only affected the bulk of the people in so far as Cairo became the capital of a province instead of the metropolis

th e of an empire . In order to resist Ottoman conqueror the Egyptian Sultanate required able officers and trustworthy

0 0 e . tr ps . It so happen d that it had neither The defea t of Marj Dabak is ascribed to the ill - feeling

Karani sah between the two sets of Mamluks , the and the

J h . il an , of whom the Sultan was supposed to favour the latter Such j ealousies between army corps are familiar in Muslim ' history ; but what was the character of these bodies It would seem that the defin ition of the Karami s offered by 1 Khalil al - Zahiri is of little use for this question ; he says : The karani s troo ps are those who migrated at an e arly period , and are attached to the Holy Bureau , possessors of ample stipends , designed for commissions , equal to com 2 100 manders of fives ; their number was originally , but in ”

Oulou klar . our time is smaller . They are called g Von Hammer 3 infers from the texts that t hey were the lowest class of mercenary ; for the accession - money which they 30 received was on a certain occasion ducats , whereas the 1 Jilban received 50 and tlie Mamluks 00 . The name perhaps

- 4 occurs first in the Chronicle of Tangri Bardi , where it is stated 802 two that in the year the army divided into parties , one

- i R v i 1 1 5 . Z ubd a t Ka sh al M a mal k e d . a a sse . f , , p 3 e e Thi s m e a nt th at e a ch h a d a sm a ll court o f fiv e M a ml uk s. S

v a n B e r e m Cor us Inscr z ti onum . 5 43 n . ch , p p , p 3 l i Ed o r v i 1 . . c . i 4 0 n. . e 5 7 , , 7 P pp , , , I NT RO D UCTION x i

i Itmish Ba asi siding with the Am r j , these being all the i e i greatest Am rs and the Kar n s Mamluks , another with the

i Yashb ak b e m i Khassiki ah Am r , these g the Am rs of the yy ’ I as s and the Mamluks of the A tbak . In Ibn y Chronicle s n it is as umed that the reader k ows the sense of this name , and all that we can learn is that it is in antithesis to Jilbau .

897 o ff In , after a plague which had carried great numbers ,

l aie tb ai the Su tan K gave every one of his army , whether

Karanisah ilb an or J , a horse that had belonged to one of the 1 6 . deceased . In 8 5 the Sultan Ahmad b Inal on the occasion of a Bedouin raid despatched against them a force wherein

‘ he sent none of the Jilb an Maml ii ks ; this greatly offended 2 Karanisah and . the , they harboured mischief in consequence Now the form Jilban (for which Aj lab is occasionally sub stituted)3 appears to be connected with the verb j ala ba in the sense of importing a slave from a foreign country, which is Often used by Ibn Iyas in explaining the origin of a Maml uk

Sultan the subj ect of the verb being in such cases the dealer . Th e Jilb an are at tim es called the Jflb an of a particular 5 Sultan ; whence it would seem that Khali l is right in defining

Karani sah the as early immigrants , though he seems to be w rong for the period with which we are dealing in the matter of their numbers and distinction . The etymology of the word is far from clear ; [oue in Turkish is a familiar word for “ sly “ cunning and might serve to describe “ an old ” f campaigner . The practice of dif erentiating between different classes of troops in the matter of accession - money is said to have been introduced by the Sultan Inal in who is charged by the historian with meanness in this innovation ; it is strange that the veterans should receive less than the new arrivals . In any case we must rej ect von ’ iti Hammer s division of the Egyptian army to Mamluks , Jilban , who were in the main Abyssinian slaves , and

Karani sa h . , the lowest class of mercenaries According to

1 3 i i 2 77 . I i . 6 8 e nd . I i . 77 . 3 . , b d , b d , l i i 5 6 1 5 2 4 O f i n r a 64 . i i 6 u 4 1 . . . 7 . , , , f , p , , xii I NTROD UCTION

u our authorities , the name Maml k was common to all ; and

Karani sa if there was any superiority it lay with the h . In the narr ative of Ibn Iyas it is the Jilban who are constantly t rio ing and giving trouble . di Of one other vision of the army , mentioned in this extract ,

' - . aulcid al nd s Ibn Iyas has given a definition This is the , 1 ka lka whom he identifies with the h . Some account of the 2 h at Z ubdat Kash al- M amd li k is given in the f , where their numbers are stated to have been originally chiefly employed in garrison duty . It seems likely that their name The chi ld ren of the M en signifies that they were descendants of Mamluks ; and the interest which Ibn Iyas displays in their welfare indicates that he was connected with such a f family . He thanks God on one occasion that their fie s were 3 restored to them after they had been taken away . The Sultans seems to have been frequently tempted to disband them ; the Sul tan Kaietb ai adopted with them the plan by which Penelope meant to get rid of her suitors a heavy bow with a corresponding arrow was brought and all who were u 4 nable to draw it were dismissed . The death of a Circassian sovereign was regul arly followed

' h ered itar l o alt by disorders , as there was no y y y , and the provincial governors regarded such an event as an opportunity

. for the assumption of at least independence . The new Sultan

- had to meet the demand for accession money, frequently from u i an empty treasury . Hence the death of the Sultan Gh r on the field after a defeat by the mighty Seli m was more fatal to the Mamluk Empire than such a di saster would have been to the Ottomans or any other government which had a nation behind it .

For the topography of Cairo , to which there are many

in t ul allusions his extract , reference sho d be made to the adinirable works of Casanova and Van Berchem , which leave little unexplained . The Commentary of the latter on his

1 i 2 2 1 3 4 1 . 1 1 4 i 1 1 5 . . 6 i 0 . , 9 p , 7 . , I NT RO D UCTION xii i

Corpus Inscr iptionum explai ns with great skill and learning 1 l Bloc e t most of the technica ities of the Mamluk court . M . h z in the preface to his translation of Makri z i h as drawn up a 1 34 list of works , mostly unpublished , which deal with the history of the Moslem Egypt and its dependencies ; it is to be hoped that the Egyptian Government , which has rendered many valuable texts accessible , may arrange for the

' publication of many more of those histories of the Maml ii k

u l period which now lie scattered in vario s libraries , pub ic and private . MA . . LIO TH D S RG O U .

1 S i r i i a th e o r h a s e a r e t a M Va n B e r e m nce w t ng th e bo v e auth l n d h t . ch n H e h ad no r i a i n h i w n fi passe d away o M a rch 2 1 o f thi s y e ar . v l s o e ld o f re se a r ch . 2 ’ H istoi r e d E l e de Ilfa kr i z i a ri s 1 908 . fq yp , P ,

TABLE OF COMP ARATIVE DATES

. 1 1 . 922 A . D 5 6 5 . A H Muharrem . Tuesday, February

r 6 . Safar Thu sday, March

‘ 4 . Rebi i Friday, April 4 Sunday, May .

2 . Monday, June

2 . Wednesday, July a l 1 eh r 3 . Rej Thu sd y, Ju y

‘ 30 . Sha ban Saturday, August 28 Ramadan Sunday, September .

28 . Shawwal Tuesday , October ’ ‘ d Dhu l Ka dah We nesday , November 26 i ah . H ii Friday, December

2 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EGYPT

old j ades , in consequence of which all the mills closed down .

N in th e o bread or flour was obtainable the markets, people f were famishing and much distressed , and o fered up many prayers . The cloth markets also closed on account of the

M eml o ok s. The artisans and tailors concealed themselves , nf and Cairo was given up to general co usion . Numbers of

M eml ook s merchants hid themselves for fear of the , and many slaves also , for fear of being compelled to go on the expedition .

It might have been the Day of Judgment in Egyptw e v ery man was exclaiming O Lord 1 save my soul 1

The troops blamed the Sultan for all this excitement . He did not act as other Sultans had done when they went on i expeditions , and in spite of it all there was noth ng to justify N this great fuss and commotion . ews had not come that ‘ l I bn Othman or his advanced troops had reached A eppo ,

’ neither had he invaded the Sultan s territory . They also blamed the Sultan for inspecting and paying the whole of the troops in four days for they were afraid that this would

‘ i al — u i be reported in the domin ons of Ibn Othman and S f , and that the troops would be deemed numerically insignificant in consequence . They complained that there was no army e in Egypt , and that the covetousness of the nemy would be excited when they heard this . But this was not correct , and it all showed a bad state of affairs . On the Saturday previously mentioned the Sultan sent i a the chief Amirs their pay . He sent d n rs to Atabek

‘ Sfid fi n al — A e mi i A rkmas i j , each to Am r , Am r Mej lis ,

i Sfid fin al - Daw ad ari i Am r , chief of the guards , and to Am r

C i a Anas Bai , chief hamberlain and d n rs to each of the [20] chief Ami rs not holding special appointments— but what was this compared to what al - Ashraf Kait Bai used to send to the chief Amirs when they went on expeditions

‘ To Ez b ek against Ibn Othman . Atabek alone he had sent 1 i a i Temr az i ah di a d n rs , and to Am r , Am r Sil n rs , and to the Am i r Mej lis a similar sum as well as di nars

’ Le ch e f d e s o ffi c i e r s q u i po r ta i e nt l e s pi e c e s d e l a rm u re d e sti née a u ’ S ta n e t u i l e s l u i r se n a ie nt l or s u i l e n a a i t b e so i n Doz . ul , q p é t q v ( y ) T H E OTTOMA N CONQU EST O F EG Y P T 3

mi apiece to all the other chief A rs , which was considered

Al - extraordinarily unusual . Ashraf Kait Bai did this only in ‘ 95 his last expedition against Ibn Othman in the yea r A . H . 8 .

Th e A i s total allowances of the m rs , exclu ive of the troops ,

amounted to di nars . 24th On the first day of the week , and the day of the

' Sul an came month , the t down and went out to his college

Sharab ishi in i t at y , where he rema ned until the af ernoon , and it was report ed that he had inspected the storehouses

t h e - of Q ueen mother , whose possessions were there , and he i found that she had much property , ncluding a large amount i i of gold and s lver specie , precious stones , costly cloth ng , and

other things . 25th l On Monday , the , the Su tan issued advances to the 1 i Tablkh anah i Am rs of , and to the Am rs of Tens , summoning

n . each one separately, as if he had been payi g wages He gave to each Ami r of the former 500 di nars and to each of the latter 200 di nars ; but did not make any all owance to

i w as r the Khal fah , which a sou ce of much inconvenience to i m the latter , who entreated some of the Am rs to lend him su s i in of money on usury, and ran heavily nto debt consequence . The Khalifah had never before accompanied the Sultan on an

expedi tion to Syria without an allowance . His baggage and equipment on expeditions had usuall y been borne by the

wh o 500 i Sultan , allowed him d nars as wages for his followers ; but this S ultan paid no attention to anything of d this kind , and was stingy towar s him in the matter of i allowances , so that the Khal fah was hardly dealt with .

Karanisah Memlo ok s The Sultan then inspected the , the

l n Sh arki eh old men and invalids , detai i g some of them to his

1 ’ De s ta m o rs u i oi nts ad e s ro m e te s e t ad a u t re s i nstr m e ts b u q , j t p t u n , se fa i sai e nt e nte nd re a plusie ur s m om e nts d u j ou r a l a po r te d e s ' so e r a i s e t d e s e r so na e s e e es e n i ni si r i uv n p n g l v d g té . Plu eu s ém r s ’ o i ssa ie t d e e t te rero a t i v e e t o r o e ra iso a e j u n c p g , p u c tt n , ch cun d ux

’ r e a i t l o i tre d e m i r T a l k h zm a h Il s a a i n o r n p n t A b . v e t s u s l e u c o mm a d e

m e t a ra n e o u a r e - i n s a a ie rs e t l e m o t e n e stio a r e n qu t qu t v gt c v l , qu n cu ’ l e se s d e ra e d é mi r d e ara n e omm e z n g d qu t h s ( Do y ) . 4 THE OTTOMA N CONQU EST OF EGYPT

Gh arb i eh and and provinces and to Upper Egypt , compelling them to go without allowances . They amounted to about M ml 500 e ook s. 26th On Tuesday , the , the Sultan came down from the

Raid ani eh Farrash es citadel and went to yy , and showed the

[sweepers] how to set up the royal tent during the expedition .

i ai ani He also arranged for the quarters of the Am rs at R d yyeh .

son On the same day the Sultan instructed his , the Grand

Master of the Horse , to make his preparations to start with him . At first the Sultan commanded him to await his arrival at Bab al - Silsilah then he countermanded this and commanded him to get his baggage ready for the expedition . 29th 6th On Friday , the , corresponding to the of the Coptic

Besh ans l off month , the Su tan took his woollen garments and changed into white linen clothing . This was the first Friday

’ since the death of the Sultan s wife . He arranged a splendid i feast in her honour , at which the Khal fah , the four j udges, m i a number of the chief A rs , and all the readers of the town a nd the preachers were present . There were many people ’ Sh arab is i in present on that night at the Sultan s college at h y . ‘ r l st i al - h On Satu day , the of the month Reb Ak ir , the S ul tan sat in the Maidan the Khali fah and the four judges came to Offer congratulations on the new month , and then returned to their homes . The same day the Sultan appointed 2 1 i [ ] the son of the late M htar Hasan , the Master of the Cellar ’ (of whose death mention has been made) , to his father s office . On the 2nd he distributed to the imported Meml ook s sets of l coloured si k horse clothing , helmets , shields , and sets of

r bridles , steel stirrups , weapons , etc . , from the armou y . The Meml ook s crowded round him and began helping themselves

fine to the clothing , and were not satisfied with what the

ul S tan distributed he failed to pacify them that day , and at that time they became extremely insolent .

r — It A Wond e . was said that a woman gave birth to a boy

ul with two heads , four arms , and four legs ; the S tan was a i mazed when he saw it . It was said that a sim lar portent ‘ l had appeared in the time of the Imam A i . TH E OT 'I‘ O M A N CONQUEST OF EG YPT 5

Amongst the favours of Provid ence to the Faithful was the cancelling of his order by the Sultan for the d epartur e

r Sh ar i eh of the A abs , whom he had allotted to the k and

A s Gharb i eh provinces and to Upper Egypt . before mentioned the Sultan had decided to take with him on the expedition a body of Arab cavalry to move in front of

So u the troops in war . he s mmoned the Arab Sheikhs and the 500 overseers and instructed them to provide mounted men , or according to some They went all over the country imposing on each small

l th e maintenance 1 00 di vil age . of two horsemen at nars , and i h i four on the larger villages at 2 00 d nars . W en the Fellah n of the distri cts heard of this they left their vill ages and their ll crops and fled , so some of the vi ages became desolate in this movement . When the Am irs heard of this they went to the Sultan and “ : complained to him about this , and said We are setting w i out ith you , and our v llages are destroyed whence shall we get food and give pay to our followers ' The Sultan was put to shame by them , and ordered these doings to be stopped . He issued imperial edicts to the overseers and Sheikhs of the

s u Arabs cancelling previous order , and telling them to ret rn a i what had been taken from the Fell h n . The imperial edicts

l ' reached the vi lages , and but for them the whole of Egypt

ul wo d have been devastated and overtaken by famine . God be praised for this deliverance Among the events of this time was the exaction of money l ir by the Su tan from the daughter of Am Khair Bey , Inspector

Gh arb i eh n . i i of the Provi ce She was the wife of Am r Tan Bey ,

r i the treasu er and one of the chief Am rs , and was the person m in f i plicated the degrading af air before mentioned . When l the Su tan made a claim against her for a large sum of money ,

un he sent a number of e uchs to demand this money . Upon which she set to work to sell her dowry and all her stock and

'

. i other property On the death of her father , Am r Khair Bey, n some enemies had accused her of taki g property of his , 6 THE OTTOMAN CONQUEST OF EGYPT

consisting of three jars containi ng a large sum of money .

The Sultan sent for her , and on her coming into his presence questioned her about the matter . She denied it all , and swore that she had never even seen these j ars of gold which they accused her of taking . The Sultan became angry with her , and said “ H ave you forgotten your crime about the child i which they found with you He swore that . unless she ’ produced h er father s property which she had taken he would i drown her , and he meant to do it . She then set about sell ng her dowry to pay the money demanded of her . On every [22] Saturday and Tuesday Zeini B erekat Ibn Musa and f a number of O ficials used to come and sell her clothing , j ust f as they woul d the ef ects of a deceased person . An exactly similar thing had happened to the daughter of

Ya shb ek Daw ad ar i the , the wife of Am r Kan Bai , Grand

Master of the Horse she had money exacted from her , and w sold her do ry , her clothes , and her slaves like the property of a deceased person , until she had paid all the money

. demanded from her . 6th On Thursday , the , the Sultan issued money in lieu of ’ three months rations to the expeditionary soldiers , in order that they might amply provide themselves . He gave nothing l to those remaining behind in Egypt , but eft it to the cooks to provide for them in his absence . On that day the Sultan

Raid ani eh sent his tents out to yy , and his expedition to Syria

‘ became a certainty . He announced to the troops in the a n Maid n that every man who was ready, and had nothi g

n ul further to detai him,sho d start before the Sultan . Until then the Sultan had not hoisted the standard which went in front of the army when they took the field for Syria .

The flag used to be hoisted forty days before departure , l but the Su tan did not follow in the steps of former kings . On this Thursday the Sultan sent dinars for the

Of mi f expenses the expedition to the A r of the Faith ul , ‘ al - Mutew ekkil ala Muhammed Allah , by the hand of

al - Din al —Alw i Dahi sh a h . Husam ah , gatekeeper of This was TH E OI’ 'TO M A N CONQUEST o r EG YPT 7

1 i u Daw ad ar done at th e instigation of Am r T man Bai , Grand ,

had it not been for the latter nothing would have been sent him . The Sul tan also sent to the four j udges to tell them to

make ready , but sent them no allowances , a source of much annoyance and inconvenience to them ; for since al - Ashraf

’ A 836 Bars Bai s expedition to Amed in H . neither the Khalifah nor the four j udges had accompanied the Sultan to di d Syria . But when they go , it had been the custom to w l provide them ith their expenses . The Su tan did not do it t on his occasion .

‘ if A few days later the Sultan sent the Khal ah a , sword

inlaid with gold , by one of the officials of the armoury

‘ al - Ad ili Muhammed . It has already been mentioned that

he sent him a set of new glass . The total amount he had received from the Sultan in gifts of gold and other valuables i i ’ amounted to less than d nars , and the Khal fah s

preparations for thisexpedition cost him di nars or more . ’ 7th Memlooks On Friday , the , a large body of the Sultan s

r . started for Sy ia , according to orders previously given

A number of troops left barracks but did not start . On that day the successor of Si di Ah med al - Badawi appeared

before the Sultan in answer to a summons , who told him to

prepare to leave with him for Aleppo . He made excuses

that he was in a feeble state of health and was unable to start .

This vexed the Sultan , who insisted and would accept of no

. h excuse . He also sent to tell the successor of Sidi A med

‘ al - i ma Rifa , y the blessing of God be upon him , to accompany

1 ' S o us l a d y na st ic ( l e s M a in l o u k s o n d on na it c e t i t re ad e s pe r so nna g e s q u i a v a ie nt l a fo nc ti o n d e f a i re a r r i v e r a l e ur d e stina ti o n l e s l e t tre s ’ é ni a né e s d a S ta d e l u i a i re a r e i r l e s a e ts e t d i ntr o d u i re ul n , f p v n pl c , ” m s rs a t r e r so n e s a u x i n o l e s a ba sad e u e t u e s p n aud e ce s ( D z y ) . B e sid e s th e G ra nd Daw ad ar [th e Am i r Da w ad ar al - k ab i r ] th e re w as a so a se o Da w ad ar it th e r a nk o f a n A m i r o f 40 M a m uk s a i r l c nd w h l , th d i t t h e r a nk o f a n Ami r o f 20 M a m uk s a nd 10 Da w ad ars amo th e w h l , ng b o a r k a i ki i n Ca i ro a nd i n e a ro i n e A Da w ad ar i k ki ( ) . S dy gu d _ h ss ch p v c n ’ a so i s fre e n m e ti o e a o r i t o Ib n I as s a o n h i s offi e l qu tly n n d cc d ng y cc u t, c w a s to c onduc t t h e c or re spo nd e nce b e twe e n th e Sul tan a nd h i s M o e r n e im S . M aml uk s ( . b h ) 8 THE OTTOMA N CO N Q UES'I‘ o r EGYPT

him . Then when the j udges felt sure that the Sultan was going they set about getting ready , and detailed a large number of deputy j udges to accompany them , much to the

. r vexation of the latter Moreover , the fou judges imposed 2 3 x [ ] a certain sum of money on each of the deputies , fi ed ’ according to each man s station , which raised a fire of indignation against the j udges . The Sul tan also condemned their conduct when he heard of it .

‘ Shafi i al —Din On this day the chief j udge of the sect , Kemal al - il Taw , led the people in the Friday prayers then he asked di for and obtained an au ence of the Sultan , who was then

s at Dahi h ah . At this audience he swore that he had not appropriated any of the money levied on the deputies , but that those of the deputies who had been detailed for the expedition had said Let us charge our expenses on the deputies ” i To remain ng in Egypt . this the Sultan replied Do not annoy any of the deputies , nor take them by force , but those

own who are prepared to go of their free will , let them go , ” but use no compulsion . Thus was this odious conduct

— God . put a stop to , for which Praise be to A number of deputies had already set about selling their furniture and i in books , and had ncurred losses consequence of the demand for money . The like of this did not happen to the j udges and their

al - deputies when Ashraf Bars Bai set out for Amed .

' On the same date the Sultan inspected the household

Farrash es slaves , the , the gatekeepers , the stablemen , the e stonemasons , the cellarm n , the armourers , the firemen ,

‘ i al - Di n and others . He summoned Am r Alam , who had charge

fifes of those who played the drums and , and required him to i w it im l spend his own money on the men go ng h h . The Su tan said You have been living on the proceeds of this office fOr a number of years , so pay for these men out of your own pocket otherwise we have some one to succeed you who will “ Cl do so . Then he paraded the singers of the bench ( )

Ab fi al - Mu au ib al - Ma law i namely, Ahmed Sena , h j , and h ,

1 0 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EGYPT

- the same hangings ; five well bred horses , two of which

- carried horse cloths , gilt stirrups , saddles of crystal and gold m mosaic , and dru s of crystal and gold two mares with gold

h - embroidered orse cloths , gilt bits , and saddles , the latter with gold hangings ornamented with gold crescents instead

of birds . Riding with the procession were a certain number of Am i rs

of Tens wearing muslin turbans , and some eunuch servants , in i also rid g . There were a number of officials , ncluding the i h u i Kad Ma m d Ibn Aj a , Private Secretary the Kad Muhyi ‘ al - Di n al — Kasrawi d i al - Di n , Inspector of Troops the Ka Ala “ Ibn al - Imam Na z ir al - Khas the Kadi Shih ab al - Di n ‘ h al - i i A med Ibn J an , Private Secretary ; and the Kad

Ab fi al - i B er e kat Baka , Inspector of Stables ; the Kad Ibn

i al - Din al - i Musa , Inspector of Markets the Kad Sharaf Sagh r , Secretary of the M eml o ok s and Government Inspector and

al —Sh erefi Yii nu s al - N ab ulusi i i al - Di n , and the Kad Ker m ‘ l — a i . Ibn J an , the princes , and other leading officials Then l ’ came the Royal Standard , the cymbals , and the Su tan s and Khalifah ’ s standards there were in the procession four drums and four fli es and ten loads of treasure cases— there were usually forty loads . ’ The Sultan s procession went out by the Rumailah Gate , the troops were drawn up , and a vast concourse of people to see it . But when the procession passed the people were not pleased ; they thought there were not enough horses , and one who had seen the procession of al - Ashraf Bars Bai when he went to Amed said that he had 400 gorgeously

- caparisoned horses with horse armour , coloured velvet ,

Yashb ek and steel . Some preferred the procession of , the

Daw ad ar (when he went against Shah Suwar) , to that of the

Sultan , giving preference to the former . It went down by i ’ i the Viz r s Gate , and came in through the Zaw lah Gate , and it went right through Cairo was observed as a high day , and all Cairo was in excitement over it . The procession wound along till it emerged at the THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST O F EG YPT 1 1

- Raid ani e al h . Bab Nasr , and went on to the royal camp at yy ’ On that day the baggage of Ami r al - Mu mini n al - M ute w ekk il ‘ r fifes ala Allah left , having in front of him two d ums and and i l ’ a trumpeter . Noth ng started on that day but the Su tan s

ol d u procession . It was customary of for the S ltan to follow in the rear of the procession , followed again by troops com mand ed by the Ami rs b ut he departed from the customs of former kings in many respects . For instance , he did not hoist the standard over the band quarters asdid former kings .

They used to hoist the standard , parade the troops , and then make a distribution of money for the expedition the standard n used to fly u til the Sultan departed , even if it were after an interval of two months . It was related of al—Zahir Berkii k that when he went out

Tim urlenk b against , his procession left y the Maidan Gate , and that he himself arranged the order of it .

The Sultan was mounted carrying an axe in his hand , [25] and rode backwards and forwards from the Maidan

- Gate to al Suwwah . It was said that former Sultans departed

r for Syria when the sun was in the sign of A ies , in early

‘ l - . a Gh ii ri spring , during the moist season But left when the heat was extreme and the sun in the sign of Cancer . f So the troops suf ered great hardships on the j ourney . Neither was it the ancient custom that the Sultan should traverse w Cairo on his way out , but that he should go out by Su wah and traverse Cairo on his return —but this Sultan took his own line in everything . 1 3th On Thursday , the , it was the common talk that one of ’ the Sultan s imported Meml ook s named Janem al - Ifranj i

r (the Eu opean) , a rapacious spendthrift (who left with the fir st d etachment of the royal Meml ook s before the departur e t n of the Sultan) , was seizing every hi g he could lay his hands on , and molesting the people on his way . When the Sultan heard of this , he gave orders to the police that he should be arrested and hanged on the spot without trial . It was said that they did arrest him and hang him on a tree at Belbeis 1 2 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST OF EGYPT

f n in his uni orm and weari g his sword , bow, and quiver . They put his servants in irons and brought them to

Maksh arah . 1 4th On Friday, the , the Sultan came down from the b citadel , went to Karafa , and visited the tombs of the ‘ al Shafi i al Imam and the Imam Laith , with his son , the

Grand Master of the Horse . It was said that the Sultan spent h ’ a considerable sum in charity on t at day . The Sultan s

i Raid ani e baggage and that of the Am rs left for yy h .

15 al - On Saturday , the th , the Sultan and Malik Ashraf

A al - Kansfih al - i l b fi Nasr Gh ur left for Syria and A eppo . It was long since the people had seen a Sultan start for these

al — countries in this manner , never since Ashraf Bars Bai

‘ ’ al Al i 836 87 a set out for Amed , in the year , about years earlier . On the morning of this Saturday the remainder of the mi l A rs assembled with the Sultan in the Maidan , in fu l f dress uniform , and on that day the Sultan con erred a robe of honour on Ami r Erkmas Ibn Tara Bai Ami r al - Mejlis and appointed him Keeper of the Armoury , which Office had been ‘ vacant since the appointment of al - Am i r Sfid fi n al - Aj emi to fi the of ce of Atabek . The number of chief Amirs who were detailed for personal attendance on the Sul tan was fifteen nine remained behind in Cairo .

26 1 5 [ ] At sunrise on Saturday , the th , the troops of the ’ i Off in Am rs , forming the Sultan s personal escort , moved the follow ing order

1 A i t ( ) The Corps commanded by m r Kur Bai , one of the

i Of . chief Am rs , and formerly Governor Cairo

’ 2 m i A B ai al - i ( ) The Corps com anded by Am r k Taw l , 2nd Master of the Horse , one of the members of

the Court .

- mi 3 r . ( ) The Body guard under A r Tani Bey, the Treasu er TH E OTT OMA N CONQUEST o r EGY PT 1 3

- i al - A shrafi The Body guard under Am r Abrak , one of

the members of the Court . ‘ - A i The Body guard under m r Allan Ibn Karaj a ,

2nd Dawad ar . , one of the Court

i Baibars l The Corps under Am r , a relation of the Su tan .

i n Muw attir The Corps under Am r Jan Balat, k own as .

K ns The Corps under Ami r a uh Kurt .

n i al — ni w The Corps u der Am r Tamr Hasa , kno n as the

Zard kas h .

l irk The Corps under Ami r Kans fi h Ibn Su tan Ch es. The Corps under Amir Anas Bai Ibn Mustafa Chief

Chamberlain .

‘ i Sfi d ii n Daw ad ari The Corps under Am r , Chief of the

’ Corps of Guards .

’ u l al - Mu amm ed The Corps nder the Su tan s son , Nasir h ,

Grand Master of the Horse . The Corps under Am i r Erkmas Ibn Tara Bai Ami r i Mej lis , who had been appointed Am r Silah . a ni The Corps under the Atabek S ud n Ibn Ja Bey , ‘ - known as al Aj emi . His corps was remarkable

for splendour and good order .

When the last of these corps had passed the Sultan himself left by the Stable Gate near the steps . He was preceded

’

Bur h ashi . by the royal trumpeter , named g The Sultan s cavalcade was magnificent ; rarely has it been equalled in splendour . At the head of it came the three elephants , ' gorgeously caparisoned , then came the victorious troops in

- n i full dress u iform , followed by the Am rs , who were chiefs of i e the guard , carry ng staves with which to k ep back the people . After these came the Ami rs of the Tablkh anah and all the i s ffi Am rs of Ten , then the executive o cials .

an: [27] There were also present in this cavalcade the dis tin ui sh ed i B erekat i g brothers of the Sher f , Am r of Mecca these went in front of the Chief Ami rs . Then came all the 1 4 TH E OTTOMAN CONQUEST OF EG YPT

i ’ chief Am rs , with whom was the Sultan s son, His Highness al - Nasir , Grand Master of the Horse , and by his side was the

' ‘ d al - A Atabek Sii im j emi . Then followed the four j udges of ‘ i i i anb ali the Sha Hanef , Malik , and H sects . Then came the i n Khal fah , weari g the Baghdad turban with two ribbons ,

‘ and a Ba lbec coat with black silk embroidery . He did not ’ have the Khalifah s flag held above him ; he had curtail ed many customs observed by former Khali fahs who were kinsmen Of his .

’ Then came the Sultan s led horses , consisting of a pair

— with sugar loaf headgear , and saddles with yellow silk coverings and side - drums ; another pair had saddle - cloths

i - i and g lded saddles with gold embroidered cover ngs . Some of the horses had saddles of crystal inlaid with gold , and studded with agate stones , set in silver . A body of chiefs of the Guard followed on foot carrying axes . There were before them neither tents nor royal flute - players as was customary in these royal cavalcades . Then came the baggage and boxes , and the garment cases covered with yellow silk , and the

- incense bearer on foot with the censer ahead of him , followed by the Sultan al - Malik al —Ashraf Kansii h al - Gh uri— may he eVer be victorious . He was preceded by the Khali fah about twenty paces in

Ors front of him . The Sultan rode a bay h e with numnah ‘ c and gold saddle , wearing a cap and a white Ba lbe coat embroidered with a wide border of gold on black silk ; it was said to have in it five hundred miskals of gold . That day was one of great splendour, a magnificent sight . The Sultan

fin e . was handsome , and a figure in a procession Thus the Sul tan advanced with the royal flag held over

M eml ook him , immediately behind him being the Chief , ‘ l - ma Sunbul a Oth ni . He was accompanied by the armour bearers in uniform , and a great number of his suite and j emadars . He entered Cairo by the Zawil ah Gate and passed through

[28] the streets . All Cairo trembled at his presence on that THE O 'l ‘ TO M A N CONQU EST o r EG Y P T 1 5

day , the townsfolk greeted him with prayers for his welfare , n m i a d the women cheered him fro the w ndows . The Sultan marched in that cavalcade until it came out by the Bab al - Nasr

Gate , and it was a gala day .

Then the camp at Raid aniyy eli was reached . On the following day chests were brought dow n containing the gold

a i and silver , e ch chest contain ng gold in coin to the amount

di . of nars , in addition to other metals The treasury was depleted of all the money which had been collected since l ’ the commencement of this Su tan s reign , up to the date of the departure of this expedition: Moreover; a complete i clearance was made of all the other storehouses , ncluding articles of intrinsic value and highly wr ought weapons collected by former Sultans , gilded saddles inlaid with crystal and agate

- also gold embroidered numnahs , crystal and enamelled drums ,

- - embossed sets of horse armour , gold embroidered camel

saddles , and other royal treasures . In charge of the chests were a party of treasury clerks and f fif of icials in uniform . These chests were borne on ty camels then came the armoury borne on a hundred camels , preceded by two dr ummers and fifers and instruments of mil itary music l mounted on camels . Al these went on to the camp . 1 6 On Sunday , the th , the Sultan caused it to be proclaimed

l 2 1 st in Cairo that the army wou d advance on Friday, the , l that every expeditionary so dier must be present on that day , and that no excuse of any kind for absence would be accepted .

W n u he the S ltan had established himself in camp , he appointed a number of the deputies of the chief j udges to im accompany h on the expedition .

s s 29 m d [ ] He also had with him a great nu ber of buil ers , carpenters , and blacksmiths , as was customary, and the Chief

Sheikh with his troops and flags and drums . He led th e l ’ Su tan s cavalcade on its entry into Damascus , in accordance i w th the ancient custom on expeditions . 1 6 TH E OTTOMA N CONQU EST o r EGY PT

1 8th 1 9 2 i On the , th , and l st there left a number of Am rs

Meml ook s [names omitted] with their , said to number

K ani s M ml s 944 . ar ah e ook M eml ook s men The , the imported , [30] and those born in the country numbered five

thousand .

This was the report Heaven only knows the truth of it . It was said that some two thousand of th e Karani sah

Memlo ok s M eml ook s , with the unfit , the Sheikhs , the Imported , n and those born in the country , remained behi d in Cairo , in

the barracks and in the citadel .

l Raid ani eh Whi e the Sultan was in camp at yy , a letter n l arrived from the Gover or of A eppo , telling him that

‘ Ibn Othman had sent a messenger with a letter , which he now

forwarded to the Sultanby the same messenger . It was

expressed in pleasant terms to the following purport . After ff calling the Sultan his father and o ering prayers for his welfare , Ibn ‘ Othman asserted that he had not encroached upon the

‘ ’ dominions of Al i Dolat except with his (the Sul tan s)

permission , and that he had rebelled against him . That it was he who had stirred up the ancient hostility between his ‘ ’ father (Ibn Othman s and the Sultan Kait Bai , which led

to what had happened , and had caused the greatest mischief ’ ul in his (the S tan s) country, so that his death was entirely ‘ Al i o j ustified . As to Ibn Suwar , who had succeeded D lat,

if the Sultan thought fit to retain him , or to replace him ,

the matter rested entirely with him . As to the merchant

‘ M emlook s importers of Circassian , Ibn Othman said he had a not stood in their way , but th t they had complained of their

treatment as regards their payment in gold and silver , and

ml k s had refused to bring the Me oo over . He further said that he was prepared to return to the Sultan the dominions

‘ ‘ h e Al i o ul c had taken from D lat , and wo d do whatever the

Sultan desired . Upon this the Sultan summoned the leading Amirs and ‘ ’ read to them Ibn Othman s letter , the contents of which greatly pleased both them and the Sultan and aroused in

1 8 THE OTTOMA N OONQU EST o r EG YPT with criers in front of him proclaiming security to the people n and the conti uance of trade . No one was to walk about in the evening carrying arms the molestation of tradesmen by

M ml k s e oo and slaves was forbidden . Men were to come for redress of grievances to the Gate of the Daw ad ar the people

Daw ad ar shouted and made prayers for him . The was beloved by the people and by the poor, and rarely. did harm to anyone . i Thus he made his way along the Sal bah , in the midst of a great cavalcade with runners and water —carriers and crowds of people— with the royal followers and Memlook s in front of T him , and made his way to the residence . hen I said

Creation has been honoured by the Regent , whose word is law ;

N i n oble , brave the fields of battle , a fine horseman , wi Victorious in battle th sword and lance .

c om l ai ns to of If a wronged one p him his wrongs ,

for The light of his j ustice arises him , Promising that morning wi ll appear n e Lord , be his helper and protector in all the changes and cha c s

of hi t s life , And spare Ibn M asa to his subjects

- A second Moses , pure hearted , a security against sorcery ,

A noble gentleman , then Inspector of Markets , he was born

al - on the night of Kadr . O l Se id s n account of his god iness he has regard for the noble yy , And thus obtained a great heavenly reward m l He has beco e Director of the Food supp ies ,

The point of his lance pierces the necks of his enemies .

fisu f ui Y . A Pharaoh in Egypt, he has acq red the fortune of ’ hi m Sfirah s of I seek protection for through the the Kor an ,

i o f . After the Stars , the L ght , and the Day Resurrection

22nd the On Saturday , the , Sultan left the royal camp at

R a idani eh h i yy , accompanied by the K al fah , the four j udges ,

al - his son , His Highness Nasir , Grand Master of the Horse ,

- A al i S . and k Bai Taw l , econd Master of the Horse

Siria fis He said the morning prayers and left for Khankah k , n a having remai ed seven days in the camp . He halted day ‘ T H E OTTOMA N CONQUEST O F EGY PT 1 9

Siria us and a night at the monastery of k , and left on Sunday , 24th i 23rd . the On Monday , the , a third nstalment of wages

i w h o was ssued to the troops had stayed behind in Egypt . i s Am r Takt Bai sat at the steps , and the wages were di tributed in his presence ; it was the fir st payment of wages in the i D w absence of the Sultan . The same day the Am r a ad ar gave orders to the leading Amirs whom the Sultan had appointed to the Sh ark i eh and Gh arb i eh prov inces to leave n for their posts , and to protect the cou tries from devastation

i Sh ar i eh Ez b ek y . a k b the Arabs So T n Bey left for the and ,

Gh arb i eh Al - i Ka s . n fih the gunner , for the province Am r al - Menfifi eh al - i Kansuh Ab fi Faj ir went to yy , Am r Sena

l - h to [32] a Buhairah . Bak sh Bai had gone to the Fayyum to see about the construction of a dam there . Then the Daw ad ar issued a proclamation in Cairo to all the Royal Memlook s who had been detailed for the Dominions

l mi ul that they shou d accompany these A rs , and that none sho d remain behind , and they complied with his orders .

0 11 24th i al - Memalik Monday , the , Am r Naur uz , Taj ir , one l a of the Ami rs of the Tab kh nah died . He was originally one ’ of Ashraf Kait Bai s Meml ook s. He had become very big l and heavy , and was so fat he cou d hardly move , and he

u l di remained in this condition nti he ed . It was reported that the Sultan bestowed upon his Memlook

i b e Mama , whom appointed to the Censorship , the baggage l z u . of Nauru , his horses , m es , and tents At least, that was what was commonly said .

The same day the sky became black with clouds , there was i thunder , lightn ng , and torrents of rain . This happened on

1 Ba a n the st of the Coptic month un h . The rain conti ued for three days on end ; it was considered quite a marvel . This was succeeded by vi olent winds and the sky became

n . l quite yellow at su set The people drew evi omens from this , of revolutions , which actually did take place later on . The same day news came from the Sultan that when he started from the monastery a man was found in his tent who was 2 0 THE OTTOMA N ‘ CONQU EST OF EGYPT

‘ ’ a al - Din thought to be an ass ssin , sent by Alam , the Sultan s

barber , who had incurred his displeasure , as previously ‘ - mentioned . The enemies of Alam al Di n said that he had

‘ al - sent that fanatic to kill the boy named Abd Razzak , who

‘ ' th e Sul an in - had become barber to t the stead of Alam al Di n .

The man , who was thought to be a fanatic , was arrested and

brought before the Sultan , who tried to make him confess ,

but he denied and was ordered to be hanged .

Then the Sultan sent to Elmas , Governor of Cairo , to arrest ‘ al - Din Alam and his relations , and to hang him on his own ‘ - D gate . When Al am al i n heard of this he fled from his home i and hid himself . Then the Val arrested a number of Syces ‘ Of al - Di n who were relations Alam and put them in irons .

Mak sh arah Some said that they had been hanged in , or

imprisoned till the Sul tan should return . Previous to this stores of chaff and bran belonging to the Am irs had been burnt to the value of about two i thousand d nars . This was put down to some of the Syces ,

‘ relations of Alamal - Di n the barber— for if an animal is

once down every one digs his knife into him . Persistent ‘ ’ e Al al - Din s arch was made for am the barber s capture , and ‘ a i l al —Di n it was said that the V l , on the flight of A am , sent

M eml ooks n his , in full u iform , to search for him , but without

success .

‘ 28th i al - h Daw ad ar On Friday , the of Reb Ak ir , the left in order to see about repairing the dams at al - Faid and

Ab a l . Manj a , which the guardians had fai ed to block up The l Ni e had risen before orders had been issued on the subj ect , and

Daw ad ar had reached a height of 1 2 cubits . The took the utmost trouble to close the sluices , boats were broken up

under these two sluices , and still the water was uncontrolled l ti l at last God came to the rescue , and the Nile receded

umad a al - u i i al During the month of J la , Am r Mama

i . Sagh r , the Inspector of Markets , j oined the Sultan He had with him a little lad of 13 called Kasim Ibn Ah med Bey Ibn

’ ‘ ‘

Ab ii i i . Yaz d Ibn Othman, nephew of Sel m Shah Ibn Othman TH E OTTOMA N Co N Q UEsT OF EG YPT 2 1

h e a ’ ’ W n the l tter s brother , Ahmed Bey (the boy s father) , was

killed , his son Kasim fled with his tutor , and went to Aleppo

‘ in i t d sguise , and hen came to Egypt and lived there until the 33 l [ ] Su tan left for Syria , when he took him with him for

own . reasons of his , but no good came of it The lad went out

i . with Mama , with led horses before him Moreover , the Sultan i had provided him with an outfit and about d nars , hoping that the boy ’ s fame might be heard of in the Dominions of Ibn ‘ Othman and that it might be said that there was one ‘ l . l of Ibn Othman s family in Egypt , a ma e child The Su tan ‘ - 0 0 thought that the tr ps of Ibn Othman , on hearing this ,

would desert and come over to him , but nothing came of it . The lad Kasim passed along the Sali bah wearing a Turkoman turban , a royal dagger in his belt , and was said to have a

- n ruby ear ri g . He was accompanied by a number of Osmanlis ,

D w ad ar i i i . a Am r Mama , and Inal Bai The latter was Sikk n , who had come from Syria , and had been ordered by the Sultan to return a second time , and to go with him to Aleppo . Am ongst the things that happened during the absence of i n the Sultan , Am r Elmas , Gover or of the Police , took to making lev ies on the people for the construction of roads in various quarters . They made one road at the top of the

H usseini eh Kantarah Bran Market , one in yy , and another over

l — - a . Fara i n al Haj ib A road was also made at y , and at Maks ,

, and several others elsewhere , and they blocked up a number of the wicket gates in Cairo . He ordered a lamp to be hung up outside every shop , and none were to leave their houses ‘

. of interest after dark , nor to carry arms It was a matter

Daw ad ar ul a al - N that the did not disturb any of the A d as , nor

’ compel them to live in the citadel during the S ultan s absence .

It was customary , when the Sultan went to Syria , for the ' guard ians of the citadel to tyranni ze over the Aulad al - N as and to compel them to spend every night in the citadel . This was an annoyance , and an extreme fatigue to the men , having

y to climb up ever night , and a long way from their homes in An the winter . y man who failed to go himself had to provide 2 2 THE OTTOM A N OO N QUEST OF EG YPT

a . a substitute . This was done till the days of Ashr f Kait Bai

Daw ad ar It was recorded amongst the good acts of the , and the people blessed him for abolishing this odi ous custom . Another incident in the Sultan ’ s absence was that one of the imported M eml ook s wanted to buy corn from a ship by the river bank and could not find a porter . Finding one of i ‘ i the fellah n of the Sa d with a donkey and a sack , he tried to take them from him . This led to a quarrel , during which the Memlook struck the fellah a severe blow on the head

o which drew blo d , and the man threw himself into the river

’ Meml ook and was drowned . This brought a crowd round the , ’ z Daw ad ar s whom they sei ed and took to the house , where he was put in irons and sent to the Vali . When his comrades

’ heard of this they went to the Daw ad ar s house they found he was away at the dam of al - Faid seeing about its being

3 Meml ook s Daw ad ar [ 4] blocked up . The were told that the

Me mlo ok had handed over the to Elmas the Vali . Thereupon a great number of the imported Meml ook s came down from their qua rters with a view to plundering and . b urning the ’ v n M e mlook i . Daw ad ar al s house and releasi g the The , t however , took no fur her notice of that murder , and no more was heard of it . The following event took place during the absence of the ‘ l : Su tan One of the eunuchs named Amber, chief of the

A shrafi T i order , who lived in the ruins of atar ( ) , and was Z supposed to be wealthy ( ) , and had in his possession con si nments Memlo ok s g of pay for the , was attacked at night , whilst asleep in his house , by thieves , who beat him on the l a elab ah s . off he d with j ti l he died They carried everything , and killed his male and female slave , making no disturbance i whatever . Am r Takt Bai , Governor of the Citadel , was ’ ' co mpletely at a loss to understand how this could have h appened right in the heart of the citadel , when the gates were l o ok ed after sunset ; it was considered quite an extra ordinary occurrence . 9th i Shafi ‘ i On Tuesday , the , a chief Kad of the sect died T H E OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EG YPT 2 3

K lk s n r he was called a a h a d i . May the Lord have me cy 1 n upon him He was a holy man of learni g and excellence ,

. i well versed in the traditions . He filled the office of Kad

— Of al i . twice during the reign Ashraf Gh ur He was very old , nearly 90 ; he was one of the most distinguished scholars of Shafi‘ i the sect . May God have mercy upon him ' On the same day came news of the arrival of the Sultan ‘ ali i eh s 25th i al - at S h yy on Tue day , the Reb Akhir , and it was said that when about to leave there he gave permission to the Khali fah and the four j udges to go forward as far as

Gazah . 1 When he reached Katiya he was met by Ami r Kansfih

Ra lah i j , Governor of Kat ya , where he was hospitably enter tained ’ and given (it w as said) many presents . Am ongst stories circul ated during the march wa s that a l i i i mu e belongng to the Hanef Kad was stolen , but was recovered with the aid of a gift also that a bundle containing

’ the H anb ali Kadi s clothes was stolen from his tent ; and that a camel laden with money belonging to the Sultan was stolen , but the culprits were arrested , and three camel drivers were cut in two . None of these reports were verified . Then came news of the entry of the Sultan into Gazah on

r 4th Thu sday , the , where he was met by the Governor , i o ff Am r D lat Bai , hospitably entertained , and o ered numerous presents . He was said to have stayed there five days , and then to have moved on . The Sultan when at Gazah was said to have decorated

al - Din al - Alw a i Dahi sh ah Jemal h , Janitor of , and to have appointed him chief teacher in the place of Shihabi Ahmed

Tfil fini o fli ce Ibn , who had been removed from that , This appointment may be regarded as one of the mistakes of the time , he being unsuitable for the post .

' 1 9 li al - Rad d ad On Friday , the th , came Ibn Ab with news that the Nile was found , on measurement , to have reached

1 2 s n cubit , which was considered extraordinary , withi

1 T h e o sti e ists o n th e roa to a e st i ne t wn ll x d P l . 2 4 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST OF EGYPT

6 C N l Ma ri z i ubits of a full i e , according to k in his topographical

Su fi i Kaukab dictionary Sheikh y t , in his book entitled

- d 4 a l Rau at 2 . , gave it as inches more Since the time of Nasir Muhammed Ibn K alafin it had not been known to reach 1 61 2 . . 7 cubits during his time, in the year A H , it did reach

1 . 2 cubits The full Nile was on the 6th of Misra . The rise [35] in that year reached nearly 24 cubits ; the people suffered

e consid rable loss in consequence , and prayed for its fall . It

T r eventually subsided at the end of the month at . Du ing 838 N the reign of Ashraf Bars Bai , in the year A . H . , the ile 1 1 10 l rose cubits inches , and reached its ful height on the i 2nd of Misra . The people thought that the N le would cover

i a the land dur ng the sowing se son , beyond its proper time ; t n but every hi g turned out prosperously that year , and the

Nile reached its maximum height at the proper time . Mention

will be made of this in its own place . 27th i ani On Saturday , the the death occurred of Am r J i Bey he was one of the Am rs entitled to a band , and was one

s of the Me ml ook of Ashraf Kait Bai he was an excellent man . In the same month a new coinage was issued and the old

one cancelled . The value of the old coins was proclaimed at

N isfs two to the Ratl , and that of the new coins as marked ff l upon them . The a airs of the people came to a standsti l .

1 st On Tuesday, the , a number of Deputy Judges and nobles ’ proceeded to the Dawad ar s house to offer him their con

gratul ations on the new month . ’ News came of the Sultan s entry into Damascus on Tuesday , i 8t . the h ; he was met by Am r Bars Bai , Governor of Syria

The Sultan entered with a numerous cavalcade , preceded by i i i the Khal fah , the four j udges , and the chief Am rs , the Am rs

Tab lkhanah i office - of , the Am rs of Tens , the principal holders ,

ofli cial s the executive , a strong body of troops , and many

others .

He was met by the Amirs and troops of Syria . He had over his head the dome - shaped umbrella as used by ancient

kings . The city of Damascus was splendidly decorated in his

2 6 THE OTTOM A~N CONQUEST o r EGYPT

antarah al - Th e Arab criminal to be hanged on the K Haj ib . affairs of Egypt were extremely well directed by the Dawad ar ’

. i during the Sultan s absence He instructed Am r Elmas ,

Governor of Cairo , to patrol the streets of the town every

i Meml o ok s night after dark , and a hundred of the mported were detailed for the purpose to patrol by turns with the i Val till daybreak . Thus good order was maintained during the absence of the Sultan , contrary to the usual experience . The Daw ad ar was constantly r eproaching Elmas the v ali for impressing people to maintain the roads it was a most tyrannical practice . He arranged with the police and the watchmen to levy contributions on the citizens for the repair m n of the roads , and they used to collect a considerable a ou t ’ in this way . The watchmen would stop at a certain man s house and demand what money they thought fit , and if the owner ran away they used to nail up the door and fasten his children and family inside till he came and paid them what they

h - demanded . T ey would fasten a widow woman in her house , and leave her without food or drink til l she threw them from the window a blanket , mattress , or carpet , or something of the kind . They used to levy on the poor the payment of an

A sh rafi r or two , and from those in good ci cumstances in some

. A s r fis h a . cases five , in others ten, as they chose This they

al — al - did in the Khatt Maks , Khatt Bab Bahr , the Milk

al s useini a al - Ra li Market , H y , the Bran Market, Khatt Birkah t , and other places ; in this way they exercised a tyranny

H uniad es construc exceeding that of , on the pretext that the tion of roads was for the good of the Muhammedans . Much Si money was gathered , and but little spent . So Bai determined that a collection should be made from Seyyid ah N efi sah to the end of Ibn Tfil fin s market - place on all property and shops in that locality . It was supposed that they would construct a wall to prevent a surprise attack by the Arabs . But all this

’ was a trick to obtain the people s money . They began to make lists of the properties and shops in the quarter of Tul ii n and

Karafab . TH E O 'l‘ TO M A N CO N Q UES 'I‘ o r EG YPT 2 7

When the Da wad ar learnt that Elmas was committing these acts of oppression in his name , he swore a great oath that he had had no knowledge of it , and put a stop to these

i . dreadful do ngs , gaining thereby the thanks of all the people M l Then the em ooks i n the employ Of. the Chamberlain tried to start [37] another piece of tyranny . They collected a good deal of money from the residents of Birkah al - Ratli in order to cut through the bar across the mouth of the lake , which had in greatly increased height , so much so that it prevented the

W Daw ad ar passage of ships into the lake . hen the got news t of this , he put a s op to this also , and ordered the entrance to be completely blocked up to prevent ships from entering .

1 9 Daw ad ar On Saturday , the th , the returned he had been to the Fayy fim to inspect the embankment which Ami r ’ Bakhsh Bai had built there . During the Sultan s absence the Dawad ar used to ride out every day accompanied by the

i Ma ari eh Am rs of Tens , who were still in Egypt , towards t yy

al - and Birkah Haj ; he used to return by the Nasr Gate , preceded by very many Amirs and soldiers . This was done with the express obj ect of preventing the Arabs and fellah i n from thinking that Egypt was denuded of troops ; it was a well conceived idea .

2 l st 27th i On Monday , the , corresponding to the of Ab b , c the Nile was at its fullest . The artifi ial dam was cut on the 2n i 2 d 28th . , corresponding to the of Ab b It had reached its full height four days before the month Misra . The Nile had only once before been known to reach its fullest as t 27 h i 845 . early as the of Ab b , in the year When the

i Daw ad ar Nile was in full flood , Am r Tuman Bai , the and the Regent went to cut the dam m a rowing boat proceeded l to the Ni ometer , and anointed the column .

in - He then left the Nilometer the rowing boat . accompanied i — by a number of leading Am rs Takt Bai , Governor of the if i Erz amak N ash . Citadel , Am r , , and others When the darn

Daw ad ar was cut the returned home with a great procession , i in preceded by the Am rs full dress . and many of the leading 2 8 THE OTTOM A N CONQUEST o r EGYPT

rn officials . As soon as the da was cut the water poured with i tremendous force into the bas ns . The people rej oiced that

day that the Nile had reached its height , before its usual

time . And someone said Enj oy the water of the Nile before its inundation ; a draught of its water is as good as medicine to us ; its sweetness has without doubt come in ” floods .

’ Amongst the events of this time was the Dawad ar s putting a stop to people residing on the - embankment at Birkah

al - Ra tli and all the creeks . He made a bridge over the i l nl Zar bah canal , the wharf at which the p aster was u oaded .

So the business of the Middle Island fell into decay, not a house

remained , not a shop was opened . He prevented the gamblers

i - from putt ng up a gaming house , either on the embankment

a i al - Ratli or along the Z r bah . The houses of Birkah fell into ‘ al - i a ruins , especially those of the children of J n , the house of

- - the Private Secretary , and other houses of the well to do

classes suffered likewise . All the owners suffered much hard in ship this year consequence and lost the rent of their houses . [38] It was said that Kh aukh at al - Jisr (Bridge Lane) was

to be shut up .

i B erek at a The Kad Ibn M sa , the Inspector of Markets , besought the Daw ad ar to allow the ships to enter as usual

e and to let the p ople live on the embankment but he refused , saying that the people would corrupt the wives of the gentle men who came wi th the Sultan for the c eremony of the

opening of the Nile . He kept firmly to his decision then towards the end of the Nile functions he made a concession to the Kadi B erekat Ibn M usa that five ships belonging to dealers might be

admitted to the lake as usual so the confectioner , the cheese

m on er - th e Si1 w i kh ati C g , the fruiterer , the vegetable seller , and ( n entered and no others . These men , after remai ing for some days moving about here and there and not finding

al —Ratli anybody to trade with , left again , and the Birkah became quite deserted ; there was no one there even to kindle TH E OTTOM A N CONQUEST OF EG YPT 2 9

k Bed r a fire . This formed the subj ect of an elegy by Shei h

‘ al - Di n al - Ze it ii ni

I asked the Lord of Heaven to grant victory to our Sultan ,

A l- G h ii ri the h Of V , Fat er ictory , the esteemed King ,

Most noble , invincible , Defender of the True Faith , of perfect

dignity . A feeling of desolation came over the creation at hi s absence Heie is the Birkah al - Ratli sheddi ng tears ; we can rightly

bewail the loss of pleasant places , Especially the covered places and her fair banks

th e - There light hearted could meet , d hi And assure ly companions p is better than loneliness .

There the sweet , shady sycamore grew ,

The birds and the beasts of the field have mourned over her , The streams have shed bitter tears and cried out in ang uish of he art m d At the cala ity that has happene to the Bridge . Its lofty tree weeps tears of blood in its mosque

The Syrian is mourning over the granaries ,

u nd The ho ses along the banks are deserted a tenantless , 1 w h Her palaces are void , and , oh . how lovely are the people it

empty palaces .

al - Ra li Lament with much grief and lamentation over Birkah t , Over the punishment and loss that has befallen her Th e shipowners used to take delight in her There the fruiterer hastened with his ship be aring plums a nd

pomegranates , i Flowers of many kinds , wh te roses , lilies , and myrtles , greeted with beaming faces

a - c There c me also the cheese maker , ooking on board , joining fire to water on the stre am

a For the e ters there were thirsty confectioneries ,

The h h - t irst of whi ch was quenched wit cloud water .

- The pistachio tree gave splendour to her open spaces , And her sugar records the tradition of Ab fl Dh arr

O - a There the pium cater was in const nt delight , But since the curtailment of his joys he has been engrossed in anxious thought 3 0 TH E OTTOMA N CONQU EST O F EGYPT

w as th e There the drunkard in height of enjoyment, passing

- round the wine goblets on the night of the full moon .

for There were the ships , decked or open , passengers Reciters of verse came thither with players of musical

instruments ,

And lutes sounding softly like the turtle dove . 39 N [ ] ow time has obliterated all those resorts , Crows and owls in their nests mourn over them

The anemone has cast its petals there ,

The of tender branches the trees have shed their foliage , The blackbird has donned his sombre robes There is heard the sound of water as the river beats against the

bank ,

The clouds shed tears , and the dawn is as the beginning of the n ight , l The noonday sun is darkened , and the fu l moon eclipsed till

dawn . Our Mi ddle Island has become a waste

' u From the damming p of the water ,

They have taken away its falling timbers for sale ,

And left onothing but the bare walls d The boatmen are in ire distress , There is no means of livelihood nor ship - owner

- They have sold their deck coverings and sails , n — The oars have va ished none knows whither , 0 eyes , shed copious tears of grief 0 heart , patiently endure ’ God s favour be on the days that passed so joyfully, when we in

Egypt were in security .

Daw ad ar i The it was who issued these proh bitions , With intent to protect the women who came out with the

Sultan ,

And the purdah girls , in the early morning , To protect the w ives and daughters of the people from mi s fortune By giving these orders he was the most noble protector of the

w ives and daughters of all people from trouble .

not ii Had it been for the intercession of M sa,

For which he has received thanks and rewards , THE OTTOMA N Co N Q UEs'r OF EGY PT 3 1

’ The dealers ships would not have been allowed to enter ,

Nor would anyone have appeared on the embankments .

O Of y h , Lord , grant victory for our Sultan and the Army Eg pt

Grant them a safe return to their nation and country , We pray for the chosen one Muhammed of the fami ly of

Hashim ,

To guide to all goodness and felicity , Likewise blessings be on his fami ly and companions and on the next generation And perfect grace be given them o n the Day of Resurrection May the mercy of God be upon them As long as the morning breeze blows over the branches

- And the turtle dove cooes .

‘ v ersifier al - i a And the , Auf , prays for all who discover a f ult ’

Zeit iini s racibusl . of , and g y draw a veil over it

- - 26th al Din al . On Friday , the , Sheikh Taj Dhakir died May God have mercy on him He was one of the chief S ufi

Sheikhs , well known among the people for his j ustice and

i . uprightness , in fact a gu leless man ’ i In the month of Rej eb Am r Tara Bey died , one of the

i . Am rs of Tens On the first of the month , which fell on a Thursday , a number of deputy j udges , noblemen , and clerks ’ went to the Dawad ars house to wish him good luck in the

Ta ri . 8th h new month On Thursday, the , g Birdi , known as

msh amani Sh e . i , died He claimed to be one of the Am rs of Tens ; it was said that he was once a water - carrier ; he died w the o ner of land and property . He was rich , but was said m to have been avaricious and iserly . The same day came news of the death of one of the Amirs

40 Musa ed [ ] of Tens called y , who was on active service with the

’ M eml o k s Sultan . He was originally one of Ashraf Kait Bai s o . On this day the Amirs who had been in the Sharki eh and

G ar i h b eh d . provinces returne At this time also , the people were troubled by the new coinage . Goods were Sold at two

i 1 6 Old prices , a s lver nisf became equal to dirhems of the d coinage the new coins were reckone by number , they were t ff ex remely light , and the people su ered in consequence , and . 3 2 TH E OT 'J‘ OM A N CONQUEST o r EGYPT

shops were closed for the same reason . Bread and other

necessaries went up in price , which almost brought about

a famine . ’

Then came news of the Sultan s arrival at Aleppo , which

l 0th a al - he had entered on Thursday the of J mada Akhira ,

which day was observed as a high day and holiday . if The Sultan was preceded by the Khal ah , the four j udges , i and other Am rs as in his Syrian procession . The canopy

of the royal parasol was carried over his head by Khair Bey , i Si chief of the Am rs , Viceroy of Aleppo , as Bai , the Governor

of Damascus , had done .

As soon as the Sultan had entered Aleppo , emissaries i ‘ arrived from Sel m Shah Ibn Othman , Emperor of

Constantinople . It was said that he sent his military j udge ,

k al —Di n i a person named Ru n , and one of his Am rs called 700 l Karaj a Pasha with dependants to A eppo, and I have it on written authority that the Sultan on seeing the Kadi of Ibn ‘ Othman and Karaj a Pasha abused them for

‘ ’ Ibn Othman s action towards him , more especially for ‘ Ali o his taking possession of the dominions of D lat . In repl y the Kadi and Karaj a Pasha said that their master had

o commissi ned them to negotiate a peace , and that they were ordered to comply with the Sultan ’ s wishes without ' im bluff an further reference to h . But this was mere d trickery ’ u to p revent the S ltan s going to war , and to shake his

— determination which was borne out by subsequent events . Then Ibn ‘ Othman’ s Kadi produced legal Opinions from the

learned men of their country, who had pronounced the death ‘ i of Shah Isma l as j ustified by the sacred law . Moreover ,

‘ Ibn Othman wrote to the Sultan in this wise : Thou art

my Father and I ask thee to pray for me, but do not come 2 ” between me and the Sfi fi . Another piece of deceit practised by Ibn ‘ Othman (towards

al - i the Sultan Ghur ) was his asking for sugar and sweetmeats , in response to which demand al - Gh firi sent him a hundred

Kintars of sugar and sweetmeats in large boxes . Ibn

34 TH E OTTOMA N CONQU EST o r EGYPT

i The Khal fah and the judges rode before him , The serpents hi d themselves from his armies I put him under the protection of the v erse S ' of the Sarah o f

Yfi su f , And his troops under the protection of the verses of the Sfirah of the ornaments of gold Thursday was the day of his entry into Gazah with his army

hi s Damascus exclaimed in her joy at coming , i Welcome to the j ust k ng of men . The brow of Ra bwah glowed with light ’ ’

i . e When Joseph s encampment ( . Saladin s) decked itself with flowers a H mah came under the protection of his justice , O w o The rontes forth ith beyed him without demur ,

The Euphrates yearned for him and came on in full flood ,

Aleppo was cheered by his arrival , But Egypt was desolate at his departure l O A eppo was honoured by him and said , joy ” Hail to the graceful newcomer .

O al - Gh firi t ur Sultan felt strongly suppor ed,

- hi m hi s Since the All merciful encircled with secret favour . hi m May God preserve for ever , Z As long as the ephyr intoxicates like wine .

These are the feeble verses of Ibn Iyas .

May all blessings fall on the Holy Prophet , Th e of best of mankind and the greatest helpers , On his family and ki ndred— as long as the night

Covers with its darkness, and the day dawns .

It was related that the Sul tan on his entry into Aleppo gave instruction to Kadi Kemal al - Di n Tawil to deliver an in oration the grand mosque of Aleppo . A great congregation

e assembled . Th Kadi ascended the pulpit and preached an i l e o u ent i in . q sermon , quot ng sacred traditions favour of peace ’ The Muezzins also called in the mosques , and the Sultan s ’ portions of the Kor an were read . Preachers delivered sermons , in and it was observed as [42] a high day their mosque . ’ The Sultan did not attend , nor was he present at Friday s TH E OTTOMA N CONQU EST o r EGYPT 3 5

w prayers , as he had been at Damascus , for hich he was

d i al - Din blame . Kad Kemal preached in the large mosque ’ n during the Sultan s stay at Aleppo . Accordi g to accounts of ’ the Sultan s doings there he made Kansii h the Viceroy of

Al i u al - i eppo, an Am r of a thousand , also Yus f Nasir the i super ntendent of the buttery, who had been deputy of

l l amah Tamraz , and Tara Bai Deputy of Safad , and Deputy

of Tripoli . He also distributed thirty dinars each to the camp - followers who had accompanied him without subsistence

. i allowance He originally meant to give fifty d nars , but

M eml ook s a protest was made by the Secretary of the , and

he reduced it to thirty . a ’ To the troops he g ve three months ration money . Then the S ul tan issued to the imported Meml ook s a number of arms

from the citadel stores at Aleppo , also innumerable horses .

Moreover , he continued giving them large presents of money,

- . di d well bred horses , and weapons on the road , but he not

n Karanisah Memlook s ff give anythi g to the , which o ended them greatly . The Sul tan read the Khatmah on the GFeat Maidan at

Aleppo on Thursday and Thursday night . There were ‘ mi al - Mutew ekkil ala Al present the A r of the Faithful lah ,

the four j udges , and the Sheikhs of the Monasteries . The Am i r of the Faithful prayed with the Sultan in his tent

afternoon and evening . On that day the Sultan gave away

400 dinars and 1 00 head of sheep . He presented to the Kadi ‘ ‘ Sh afi i s 70 d i n a nd of the ars , to his deputies and Ulemas i i 70 dinars; a similar amount also to the Hanef Kad . The Maliki Kadi received 50 di nars and his three deputies l l 30 H anb a i i i . , and to the Kad he a lowed a sim lar sum He also conferred on the Sheikhs 50 di nars each ; on the poor 1 i who had come with him he bestowed 0 d nars each . To the readers of Al eppo who were present at the Khatmah and others 5 in he gave d ars each . i T After that the Sultan summoned the Am rs of housands ,

i Tablkhanah i and their deputies , the Am rs of the , and Am rs 3 6 THE OT’I‘ OM A N Co N Q UEsT OF EG YPT

’ of Tens , and made them swear on the Kor an that they would

not betray him . He gave orders for the parade of the troops in the Maidan of Al eppo in full dress they were made to pass

under two crossed swords , after the custom of the Turks , who

regard this as a most sacred oath .

Then the Sultan sent for Kasim Bey from Hamah , and

conferred a robe of honour on him . After this news rea ch ed Aleppo that Selim Shah Ibn ‘ Othman had arrested the Sultan ’ s

i i Da wad ars em ssary , Am r Moghul Bai , one of the , and put

. i him in irons The Sultan had sent Am r Kurt Bai , one of the i leading Am rs , who had been Governor of Cairo , to Ibn ‘ Othman with presents worth about di nars . He had ‘ also conferred on the mil itary Kadi of Ibn Othman and his minister Karaj a Pasha above mentioned a sumptuous robe

alb a haw i of honour with a wide y g border , and gave them

permission to return to their own country . It was an obvious error of j udgment on the part of the Sultan al - Gh firi to dismiss the emissaries of Ibn ‘ Othman before the return of

‘ Moghul Bai with trustworthy news of Ibn Othman . ‘ [43] K urt Bai hea rd on his arrival at Aintab that Ibn ‘ c Othman had refused pea e , and had arrested Moghul Bai

and put him in irons . He had meant to hang him , but let

him O ff at the intercession of some of his ministers . Ibn ‘ ’ ff Othman also meant to shave his victim s beard . He su ered

‘ ’ ni indescribable insults at Ibn Othman s hand . On lear ng this Kurt Bai returned to Aleppo and informed the Sultan of what Seli m Shah Ibn ‘ Othman had done to Amir Moghul

Bai . He also reported the arrival of the advanced guard of ‘ ’ ‘ Ibn Of v u d Othman s army at Aintab , and their ha ing capt re

Mal ati eh B eh sina . the fortresses yy , , Kerker and others The announcement of this bad news by Kurt Bai disturbed ' the Sultan and people , and the whole army . ‘ The Sultan decorated Ami r Abd al - Razzak and invested him with the governorship of the district of the tribe of

’ ul b Du l Ghadir . The S tan then left Aleppo, accompanied y

the Chief of Ami rs Khair Bai with a very strong escort . TH E OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EG Y PT 3 7

i The Governor and Am rs of Aleppo also left with their troops , ’ and halted a day s march from the city . The infantry with them a mounted to five thousand ; these troops received at that time a month ’ s pay from the i Si Sultan . These were followed by Chief Am r Bai , Deputy

Tamraz of Damascus , , Deputy of Tripoli , Tara Bai , Deputy of

a m e H o . Safad , nd the Deputies of and of Gazah Their departure from Aleppo took place on the 1 7th of the month

Rej eb . A rumour had got about that Ibn ‘ Othman was advancing u from one direction and Ibn S war from another . Then the S ultan gave orders for the Ar my to march from Aleppo and i ‘ occupy J lan , in order to engage the rebel Ibn Othman , saying that he himself and the Amirs would shortly follow to

and th at take part in the battle , the issue would be in ’ accordance with God s will . This is an extract from a letter of the commander of the ‘ Ya e Faithful to his son kfib . The sam letter gives prices at Aleppo the price of barley was 27 nisfs an ard eb b bread 3 dirhems a ratl cheese 2 nisfs a ratl meat 9 dirhems a rat]

Egyptian molasses half a feddah a ratl . The price of wheat went up as high as 2 ash rafi s an ard eb b and vetches (for

- n 1 4 ard camel fodder) were selli g at 2 dirhems the eb b . The Sultan issued an imperial edict to the Dawad ar con taining instructions as to his subj ects . The imported Meml ook s in quarters were not to molest the people or

Daw a ar disturb the tradesmen . The d was to inquire into the cases of all those in the prisons , of both sexes , and to release debtors and others , in fact all except those imprisoned for a capital offence . He also sent orders that if the road to the Hej az were clear of Arabs , the pilgrimage to Mecca was to be started from if Cairo , but that the road was dangerous there was to be no

M ml k s pilgrimage that year . The imported e oo were to be w forbidden to leave their quarters and enter the to n , and anyone of them molesting the people was to be summarily 3 8 THE OTTOMA N CONQU EST o r EGYPT

dealt with and hung . These orders were read to them at A i a . the citadel in the presence of m r T kt Bai , the Governor

The Sultan sent his greetings to all the Amirs and troops . The first day of the month of Sha ‘ ban fell on a Friday it ’ N ew was also the Coptic Year s Day , which was regarded as an uncommon occurrence , especially as the latter was on a

Friday , when there is a particular hour at which prayers are

D w ad ar [44] answered . On the Saturday the a conferred a

ani al - i robe of honour on one of the Court , J Bey Kas r , a royal

' Memlook Manfal i i t , and appointed him to the Inspectorship of

ani i . in the place of Inal Ibn J Bey , whose eyesight had fa led

3rd Daw ad ar On Sunday , the , the inspected the prisoners in confinement and the women under arrest . He released

off a number of debtors , paying their creditors himself . He also released a number of thieves , and ordered that a number of

‘ prisoners charged with murder should be cut in two . But he gave orders for the detention of some of the latter in prison ’ Daw a a till the Sul tan s return . The d r also gave substantial gifts to the poor . He commanded that the Khatmah should be read in all the mosques in Cairo , and that prayers should

v be offered up for the ictory of the Sultan . On Monday, the

’ 4th Y ii suf al - i , he conferred a robe of honour on Badr , and restored him to the position he formerly held in the Vizierate for the fourth time . On the same day orders were issued for t the depar ure of the Haj to Mecca as usual . It had been rumoured that there would be no pilgrimage this year . On Tuesday or Tuesday night died the former Hanefi

' al - Din i al — i j udge , Burhan Ibrah m Ibn Karak , whose full ‘ name was Ibrahi m Ibn al —Sheikh Zein al - Din Abd al - Rahman ‘ i al - i al - Ibn Isma l Karak Hanefi . He was a learned and i distinguished man , an eminent chief of the Hanef lawyers ,

al - k i al - Din al - Kafi i k al - Di n a pupil of Shei h Muhy j , Shei h Saif , H e and other learned Sheikhs of the Hanefi sect . was Imam

al — to Ashraf Kait Bey , and rose to great distinction , holding k many high posts , amongst which were Chief Shei h of the ’ College of the Sultan s mother in Tab b anah and accountant TH E OTTOMAN CONQUEST o r EG YPT 3 9

’ b e of the Sultan s household . After that twice held the post of Chief Kadi of the H anefi s. He then became head of the

A sh rafi eh u yy College , and end red much annoyance at the

- hands of Al Ashraf . He had an agreeable countenance ,

i . was easy of approach , civ l , and of a refined nature He was i in his eighth decade , he had lived a happy l fe , and died a witness to the faith ; he had become very wealthy . The cause of his death was as foll ows He was living at Birkah al - Fil , and was going down to perform his ablutions at the

'

Kait ti n . steps , wearing a pair of clogs He slipped and fell i into the water it was the Nile flood , and ow ng to the weight w of his clothing he sank and was dro ned . On the same date the Daw ad ar conferred a robe of honour

r fi i on one of the cou t of cials named Kaj mas , and appo nted him

Menfifi Ka s to the Inspectorship of yy eh in the place of n fih . News came from Al eppo of the death of Shems al - Di n

d - in Muhamme Ibn Nashi , Sheikh of the Book market, who was close attendance on the Sultan . He had held a number of

i Y fisuf high offices . News also came of the death of Am r , known as Maktash , who had been Governor of Safad he was fi dismissed from that of ce and then died at Aleppo . The mi death of Abrak , one of the A rs of Tens and a former

iz Inspector of the District of G eh , was also reported . A large number of those who were with the Sultan died of i disease ; and in Gazah , Damascus , and Aleppo many Am rs di of Tens , members of the Court , servants , and others ed from disease incurred on the march . Confirmation of these

was reports received during this month , and the news that i the Sultan , when at Aleppo , promoted many Am rs to the command of a thousand men . Amongst these were Ami r

‘ 45 Y i i suf al - i [ ] Nasir , superintendent of the buttery , Tara Bai

Yeshb ek Kansfih Ustad ar al - Ibn , Deputy of Safad , , Su hbah ,

Kansfi h al - s i Al Tamraz A hraf , Deputy of the Citadel of eppo , ,

Deputy of Tripoli , and others . The Sultan , it appears , mi reduced many of the Chief A rs who were incapable , and

- promoted the above named in their places . 4 0 THE OTTOMA N CONQU EST OF EGYPT

‘ ‘ 1 5 al - Al i al - Birmaw i i On Friday , the th of Sha ban , Haj d ed ; he was Falconer and in charge of the Privy Purse . He rose to honours and greatness not hitherto reached by other l Fa coners , thanks to Dame Fortune . His death was caused by a pustule , which formed in his back ; he was laid up for twelve

l l a Birmah days and then died . He was origina ly a fe l h of , and i sold calico and carpets , rid ng on a donkey, till Providence

d him . opene a door for He never did anyone any harm , and was of a gentle and very humble disposition . After his death he was found to have been the possessor of five hundred

i - fiv e thousand , six hundred d nars in gold , about forty brood m f ares and camels , one hundred head of buf alo , one thousand i sheep , four hundred oxen at his irr gation wheels , and property of still greater value than what is enumerated above . The total amount of his property was valued at one hundred i thousand d nars . 1 6th On Saturday , the , came news of the great catastrophe

d After a which had overwhelme the whole country . long . absence of news of the Sultan and his army, a letter was ‘ u r i Al - Daw ad ar bro ght by a runner alone f om Am r lan Sub , mi l one of the Chief A rs , telling that the Su tan believed and ‘ i e i d sbeliev d by turns in Sel m Shah Ibn Othman , till finally

Daw ad ar i Moghul Bey, Sikk n , arrived in a sorry plight wearing

u i a mo ldy cap without a tassel ( ) , an ancient dirty corslet i h s i r . on body, and rid ng on a w etched jade of a horse

He had been deprived of his horses , baggage , and clothing . He brought the news that Ibn ‘ Othman had refused to make

h a him peace , and d said to Tell your master that he can ” ‘ meet us on Merj Dabek . He also said that Ibn Othman

off had put him in irons and wanted to shave his beard , and had sent him to be hung on three occasions , but that

So me of his ministers had interceded for him . He had

- n in made him carry horse du g a basket on his head , and had subj ected him to other insults and terrors . When the Sul tan heard this he realized the seriousness of ‘ the quarrel between himself and Ibn Othman . It was said

4 2 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EGYPT

he had over his head a yellow, according to others a red , silk flag . The Royal Red Standard was carried about 20 yards behind the Sultan , and under it marched the chiefs ‘ M emlook s al - Othmani of the , Sunbul , the four j udges , and

i al - Zard kas i h . Am r Tamr , one of the principal Am rs On the Of i Si right flank the troops was Am r Bai , Deputy of Damascus ,

h Al . and on the left flank K air Bey , Deputy of eppo According tO ' som e authoritiesthe first to be engaged in ‘ ’ Sud an al - A emi al - the battle was Atabek j , with Malik Umara

Si Karanisah M eml ook s Bai , Deputy of Damascus , and the ,

M ml k s e oo . but not the imported These , accompanied by a number of Deputies , fought desperately and put to flight

‘ the troops of Ibn Othman , inflicting terrible losses and capturing seven standards , the guns on the carriages, and the musketeers .

‘ Ibn Othman, in consequence , thought seriously of a retreat or a surrender , as over of his men had been killed . At first the army of Egypt was victorious ; would that it had co ntinued so 'But a report reached the Karani sah Meml ook s that the Sultan had ordered the imported Meml ook s

Karani sah Meml ook s not to go into action at all , but to let the

fight alone , which damped their ardour . Meanwhile Atabek

’ Sfid fin al - Si had fallen, also Malik Umara Bai , Deputy of

Damascus , and a great number of the right flank turned defeated . This was followed by the flight of Khair Bey , Al A i Deputy of eppo, and the defeat of the left flank , m r

Kansii h Chirk ess Ibn Sultan being taken prisoner , some said killed . Moreover , Khair Bey was said to be secretly in league

‘ ' i al - Gh ii ri t w liich w th Ibn Othman against , a repor was confirmed later . He was, moreover , the first to fly before all the troops , and proclaimed defeat . But this loss was i nflicted on the Egyptian troops by the will of Providence fil in ful ment of His decrees . Now the Sultan was standing under the flag with a small

Meml ook s body of , and he began to call out Oh , sirs , now is the time to quit yourselves like men , this is the time to TH E OT’I‘ OM A N CONQU EST o r EG YPT 4 3

show your valour . But none listened to him , and they i began to leave him , whilst he told the Fak rs to pray to God ” for victory , for now, said he , your prayers are needed . ’ But no help or succour came . The Sultan s heart became

- as a red hot coal , which could not be extinguished . The day,

too , was fiercely hot , and such a dust was raised between the

opposing armies that they could scarcely see each other . ’ God s anger was kindled against the Egyptian troops , and

their hands seemed to be fettered so that they could not fight, 4 [ 7] and their sight failed them . I wrote these verses about the battle

When our Sultan with his army fe e Met the on the field of Merj Dabek,

He cried , Is there any to succour me The tongue o f events replied : Thou hast exposed thyself to calamity and thou must be the ” butt of it .

Me ml ook s Terror struck the hearts of the foreign , So that they cried out Where shall we hide The sordidness of their minds so filled them wi th the lust for

plunder ,

That it brought about their destruction .

Now as the confusion and terror increased Amir Tamr ’ al - Zard kash the l feared for safety of the Su tan s standard ,

so he lowered it, folded it up , and concealed it . Then he approached the Sultan and said to him Our King and ‘ Master ’ th e , troops of Ibn Othman are upon us , save thyself ” l u and go back to A eppo . When the S ltan understood this ff a kind of paralysis fell upon him , which a ected one side ,

and caused his j aw to drop . He asked for water , and they him brought some in a golden cup , from which he drank l . n n a litt e Then intendi g flight , he turned his horse rou d ,

off moved on a few paces , fell his horse , stood for a moment ,

and died from the shock of his defeat . It was said that his

- gall bladder burst , and that red blood flowed from his throat . 4 4 TH E OTTOM A N CON QU EST OF EGY PT

‘ ’ When his death became known Ibn Othmari s troops advanced against the men who were round the Sultan they

ll i B aib ars ki ed Am r , one of the Commanders , and a number ’ of the bodyguard and of the Sultan s servants . As to the

u S ltan , his body was not found amongst the dead , nor was it ever known what became of it ; it was as if. the earth had swallowed it up there and then . Therein is a lesson to him who considers . ’ The Ottoman troops then trampled down al - Gh firi s tents and overthrew all the goods and provisions stacked round ‘ ’ ’ them . The copy of Othman s Kor an was lost, they stamped ’ ’ aki rs th e i n upon the F flags and Am rs banners , and plu dered t every hing belonging to the Egyptian troops .

al - al — ij i Thus the rule of Ashraf Gh r came to an end , in the twinkling of an eye , as though he had never been . Praise v be to Him whose kingdom never wanes , and Who ne er changes Thus he and his kingdom came to an end together

n o r the kingdom of Egypt and the Domi i n of Sy ia , over which he had reigned for fifteen years nine months and twenty

l st days . The date of his accession was the of Shawwal 25 . 6 A 90 th H . 922 . A H . , and he died on the of Rej eb , During this period his subj ects were in a miserable condition . Then I said

al - A al - Gh firi Look with wonder at shraf , h Who , after his tyranny had reac ed its height in Cairo ,

Lost his kingdom in an hour ,

Lost this world and the world to come . l This battle lasted from sunrise ti l the afternoon , and ended as God had decreed . The killed on both sides were i i n . n umerable Three of the Chief Am rs were killed , Atabek

‘ fid fin al - A emi Baib ars S j , , the kinsman of the Sultan , and

l - Kansfih Chirk e ss Ak Bai a Tawil . Ibn Sultan was taken i Si prisoner . The following were also k lled Bai , Deputy of

Tamraz Damascus ; , Deputy of Tripoli ; Tara Bai , Deputy

rn of Safad ; and Aslan , Deputy of Ho s besides a great many

i of Am rs Damascus , Aleppo , and Tripoli , a number of THE OTTOM A N CONQUEST O F EG YPT 4 5

48 i i Ta blkhanah i [ ] Egyptian Am rs , Am rs of the , Am rs of

Tens and Guards .

Karani sah Memlooks ff Of the Egyptian troops , the su ered

Memloo ks the most , but few of the imported were in action no feats of horsemanship were displayed by them ; in fact, they drew neither sword nor lance , and might have been blocks

of wood for all the stir they made . ’ It was a time to turn an infant s hair white , and to melt iron l in its fury . Merj Dabek was strewn with corpses and head ess

d . bo ies , and faces covered with dust and grown hideous a Dead horses lay everywhere , saddles were scattered bout ,

inl - u also swords aid with gold , steel sets of horse armo r inlaid

l . with gold , helmets , armour , and bund es of clothing No one

paid any heed to these things , for both armies were occupied

with matters of more importance . A popular poem says

My horse beat applause when I h ad touched my lute on the

day of battle , And sharp swords sang East and West

They struck again and again , hitting in the music of the blows Th e heads of the enemy— and dancing

As they entered into the fight .

‘ Then Ibn Othman advanced with his troops , and took ’ possession of the Sultan s camp . He sat in the circular tent , i took the wardrobe and the costly goblets belong ng to it , the

- - armour case , the weapons , the money chest , and all articles i of value , and each of his Am rs took to himself a tent of one ’ l - T e of a Gh firi s Amir s . h troops occupied the tents of the

Egyptian , Syrian, and Aleppo troops , thus exemplifying the maxim that The misfortunes of some are the good fortunes i of others No Ottoman k ng has ever gained such a victory ,

‘ ’ Tim firlen u but once g entered Ibn Othman s co ntry, and i fought against one of his ancestors , named Yild rim , who was

Tim ii rl en in defeated , taken prisoner , and placed by g an iron ’ in Ti m firlen s cage , and exposed to the ridicule of the people g

country . Being unable to bear it he swallowed a diamond

ring and died in the cage . 4 6 TH E OTTOMA N CONQU EST o r EG YPT

ul f No S tan of Egypt ever suf ered such a reverse in one day, or died under his standard , having all his property and equip

Kansfih al —Gh firi ment captured by the enemy , except .

Thus was it written in the Divine decrees . Neither the Sul tan nor his Ami rs ruled the people justly ; they reaped the reward of their evil doings , and were vanquished by Ibn

‘ Othman . Truly it has been said , Where are the kings who wrought oppression in the land , and from whom God has freed the country Th en the Sultan Ibn ‘ Othman left Merj Dabek and entered

Aleppo, taking possession of it without opposition ; and he halted on the same Maidan t hat al - Gh firi had previously

4 ul [ 9] occupied . This is the f l account of the battle as received ‘ al - Gh firi by us , and all that passed between and Ibn Othman . i The Am rs and troops after their defeat made for Aleppo , but on trying to enter that town they were attacked by the n inhabitants , who killed a number of the soldiers , taki g their i arms , horses , and equipment and laying hands on the th ngs they had left in the town for security . Indeed , they suffered worse treatment at the hands of the people of Aleppo than ‘ they did from the soldiers of Ibn Othman . There had been bad feeling between the people of Aleppo and the Imperial Meml ook s since they had gone on ahead of the Sultan from i Cairo to Aleppo, along with Kan Bey , Grand Master of the T Horse . hey had forced an entrance into the houses of the l people , violating their women and children so the peop e of

Aleppo had suffered much injury from them . No sooner did they realize that these troops were beaten , than they set about to take their revenge . When the Amirs and the remnant of the soldiers saw this they quitted Al eppo precipitately and made for Damascus , ‘ which they reached in the sorriest plight , deprived of clothing

Of n and horses . Most the troops entered Damascus, some ridi g on donkeys , some on camels ; many were almost naked , with j ust a cloak round them .

Never before had such a disaster befallen Egyptian troops . TH E OTTOM A N CONQU EST o r EGYPT 4 7

i i The Am rs , the executive off cers , and the soldiers remained in Damascus until the survivors should arrive and it should be l known who had died and who was sti l alive . It was said that the Amirs when in Damascus had no protection from the

n n sun n bur i g , u til their servants made them shelters from i ‘ branches of trees . As to Sel m Shah Ibn Othman , he took

Al i al up his quarters in the Maidan of eppo . Then Am r

’ ‘ Mu minin al - Mutew ekkil ala Al lah approached him and the

al —Di n al - il i al - Din three chief j udges , Kemal Taw , Muhy ’ al - i i al - Din Fut fi i i l i Dem r , Shihab h , of the Shaf i Ma ik and

- i na H anb ali sects respectively . Kadi Mahmud Ibn al Sh h h i had fled with the troops to Damascus , hav ng been plundered of all his baggage and clothing . He arrived at Damascus in a miserable condition . ’ It was said that when the Amir al —Mu minin presented himself ‘ to Ibn Othman in the Maidan , the latter treated him with i n respect and asked him to be seated . He quired where he n came from , and on bei g told from Baghdad promised to send him back there but many different stories were circulated on if the subj ect . When the Khal ah requested leave to depart the Sul tan presented him with a robe of honour from his own i cloth ng , and gave him a sum of money and sent him back to

Al ul eppo , putting him under observation so that he sho d not escape . The story told about the three j udges was that the Sul tan abused them and said that they took bribes for their i fi adm nistration of the Sacred Law, and canvassed for Of ces by bribery ; that not one of them set an example of good

ul conduct , for they did not prevent their S tan from oppressing the people but looked on at this and did not condemn it . All i k nds of strange stories were told and credited as true .

‘ I was informed by one who saw . Seli m Shah Ibn Othman

- - that he was a square built , broad chested man , of a fair i i complex on , wide between the eyes , with an aquil ne nose

’ ’ A ena l A n [perhaps a misprint for l f a stout figure , with

- a i l a moustache , but no beard , big headed , we r ng a sma l 4 8 THE OTTOM A N CONQU EST OF EGYPT

i turban , smaller than those worn by his Am rs . On his arrival at Aleppo, the people surrendered the town to him

Kansuh al - without opposition . Ashraf , Governor of the

Citadel , fled with the troops to Damascus , leaving the gates

[50] of the Citadel o pen . ‘ When this news reached Ibn Othman he sent o ff a man in who was lame and beardless , with a wooden club his hand , who went up to the citadel , entered it without opposition , aflixed seals to the stores therein, and took possession of

‘

. d id money , arms , and other articles of value Ibn Othman this that it might be said that he took the citadel of Aleppo

Of w by means a lame man ith a wooden club , and the weakest man : in his army . Someone has said Take care not to ’ despise a weak foe , for a fly can make the lion s eye bleed . It was reported that Ibn ‘ Othman after capturing the Al town of eppo only entered it on three occasions . First when he went up to the citadel to inspect the stores , amongst which he found an amazing quantity of money , arms, and articles of value . The money amounted to about a million i d nars . He also found gilt horsings and stirrups , axes and

- s saddles inlaid with gold and crystal , side drums, tudded

- bridles , costly rings , sets of painted steel horse armour ,

b e splendid helmets and other weapons , such as neither nor any of his ancestors had ever seen or owned before , nor any

al - Gh firi of the Emperors of Constantinople . For what had collected by oppression and violence , and the valuables he had extracted from the treasuries of former kings of the Circassian Turks were qui etly taken possession of by Seli m Ibn ‘ Othman without any trouble whatever . And not included in this was i i the property left in Halab by the Am rs in Command , the Am rs

Tab lkh anah i of the and the Am rs of Tens , and the executive i off cers and soldiers , in the shape of money , arms , clothing , and ‘ equipment . It was also said that Ibn Othman took possession

’ n o of thirteen citadels in the Sultan s domi ions , and the pr perty they contained . In fact , the quantity of money, arms, and valuables which he captured was unlimited . He became

5 0 THE OTTOM A N CONQU EST o r EG Y P T

‘ al - Alk ami i resemblance to the case of Ibn , Viz r of Baghdad ,

‘ ’ w ho ns i al - M s a sim plotted agai t the Khal fah u t Bi llah . When H fil a u l i g became Su tan of Baghdad, and killed th e Khal fah ,

’ H ii la fi he became a close attendant on g , who then turned

: against him and killed him , saying You were no good

u m to yo r own aster, and are not likely to be of any good ” to me . Very probably the same thing will happen to h K air Bey . The third occasion on which Ibn ‘ Othman entered Aleppo

. was when he went in to the bath and he then bestowed a ‘ considerable sum of money on the Mu allim . i Shafi‘ i Now the Khal fah and the three j udges , the , the i i Malik , and Banbal , remained interned in Aleppo, not leaving ’ the city without the Sultan s permission . There also remained n i ‘ there , after the defeat , many leading men , i cluding Kad Abd

‘ al - i al - i Ker m Ibn J an , Secretary to the Imperial Treasuries , ‘ al - i Fakh irat Abd Ker m Ibn , one of the Secretaries to the ‘ Meml ook s al - i al - i n , and Abd Ker m Ibn Adm , Accou tant of ’ i al - K aisuni the Armoury, Re s Muhammed Ibn , Imam to

' al - Gh ii ri m , and a nu ber of others whose names I do not T n remember . hese persons remai ed behind in Aleppo after the defeat waiting for permission to leave . ‘ When Ibn Othman entered the tow n he proclaimed security to all , and announced that trade should be carried on as usual . He also ordered that all persons who had horses , i arms , or clothing belonging to the Am rs or the troops were to bring them in to him , and that anyone failing to do this , n if denounced , was to be hu g forthwith . i i [Here follows a list of Am rs and others k lled in the battle , n or made prisoners , omitted in the translatio ]

an: s a:

[52] Now let us return to what was taki ng place in Cairo . i ‘ l On the arrival of the letter from Am r A lan , the Sub

Daw ad ar i , giv ng an account of the terrible battle , and of the m i loss of the A rs , nobles , and j udges , there arose great ‘ Sfid un al - A emi lamentations in the family of Atabek j , for he T H E OTTOMA N CONQUEST O F EGY PT 5 1

- v i . was a de out , good , and kind hearted Am r He was known as Sfid ii n i s Ibn Jan Bey, and was originally one of A hraf ’ ml oks fli s Me o . o ce Kait Bey s He had held several high ,

i - includi ng that of Am r Mej lis and Chief Armour bearer . He in showed great courage action , and splendid feats of horseman i shi p ; he continued to a fight till he was k lled on his horse . n May the Lord have mercy on him . So there was mourni g i for the Sultan that day , and for the Am rs and nobles , and lamentation and weeping in all the thoroughfares of Cairo , for

[53] those who had fallen . Cairo and its people were in great agitation , confusion , and wild talk reigned everywhere . ‘ u 1 7 Daw ad ar On S nday, the th Sha ban , the heard that the ‘ ‘ ’ Beni Atiyy eh and N a a im Ar abs had plundered the estates of the Sh arki eh province and carried off about 400 head of w i sheep belonging to the Sultan , and had gone into the ad ‘ n th e Daw ad ar Abbasah . On heari g this performed the midday prayers , and then rode out with five hundred

Meml ook s Ar to meet the abs , came upon them suddenly , i and they fled from before him , and the Am r and his party recovered all the goods and sheep and crops and retur ned to

Cairo the same day . D uring this month he conferred a robe of honour on Zeini

B r ka sa e e t Ibn Mfi . He also went about Cairo issuing proclamations to restore public confidence , and to abolish the system of exactions known as monthly and weekly payments and all recent oppressive measures . He declared that Zeini Berekat Ibn M fisa woul d continue in office and that no one n i was to i voke the protection of anyone aga nst him . So the ’ Dawad ar s influence and the esteem felt for him became twice as great a s before .

ofli ces He combined many high , and was supreme over the i affa rs of the country .

1 8 Dawad ar On Monday, the th , the paid the troops in

r i . i Cairo thei wages They were d stributed by Am r Takt Bai , i i Deputy of the C tadel , at the steps . Th s was the occasion ’ a for much t lk about the Sultan s death , and manifestations 5 2 TH E OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EGYPT

of distress thereat . On the same day the Daw ad ar ordered n a parade of those in prison , includi g the women ; and t r i thereupon he se a large numbe at liberty , includ ng Jan Bey ,

Dawad ar i of Am r Tara Bai , who had been in prison at

Ma sh arah k for some time , on account of money which he had embezzled whilst he was pleader in charge of the Sultan ’ s

B d - P rivy Purse . He also released Kadi e r al Din Ibn ‘ i Tha lab , Kad of Asyut , who had also been imprisoned at

Mak s ar h ah for arrears of fines . He further released his son

al -Din al -Din Shems and his brother Nej m , together with

al - Din i Ab fi al - Salah Ibn Katib Ghar b , the nephew of Fadl ,

‘ ' Shensh i i al - Yah fidi also the Mu allim , , a convert to

Mu ammed anism h , whose imprisonment has already been

‘ ‘ ‘ Ya k ii b mentioned . He also set at liberty the Mu allim , the ‘ Mi goldsmith , Mu allim at the nt , and a large number of m i work en , fellah n , and others , including the women who were in seclusion and nobles who were in prison , leaving in there

. H e only criminals and those charged with capital offences . cut off th e hands of a large number of the latter and let them i go . He then cut in two a number of cr minals , amongst ‘ al - ab a Di at off whom was a man named Abd Kadir y , and cut i the hands of several thieves . He discharged Kad Salah ‘ al -Di n Ab i al - Su fid i i Z ah irah Ibn Ibn Kad Ibrah m Ibn , i in i Kad of Mecca , who had been for some time in irons , Zein B ’ erekat Ibn M fisa s house . The circumstances that led to his

i al - Samar and i arrest were the following . A certain Ibrah m k preferred a complaint against him to the Sultan that he had found a quantity of hidden treasure at Mecca . The Sultan then summoned the Kadi from Mecca in disgrace ; on his m n arrival the Sultan d e a d ed th e treasure from him . He _ ul r denied the existence of it , and the S tan put him in i ons in

i Berekat charge of Zein , and he remained thus in his keeping for a long time though quite innocent .

54 1 9 Daw ad ar f [ ] On Tuesday, the th , the con erred a robe of honour on Shihabi Ahmed Ibn al - Mundh iri Hasan Ibn al -Tfil fini and restored him to the post of chief TH E OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EGYPT 5 3

‘ i Mu all m , from which the Sultan had deposed him in

al - Din al - Al wahi Dahish a h . favour of Jemal , guardian of On the same day the Daw ad ar made proclamation in Cairo that all the recent taxes were abolished, and that the decrees in

force under Ashraf Kait Bey were to be observed . This was

‘ i Berekat received with general acclamation . Zein Ibn

M fisa went throughout Cairo fixing the prices of commodities ,

so that a kind of vermicelli, which was being sold at four m ] i dirhe s the rat , was fixed at two d rhems cheese and meat l a so came under the new tariff . During the same month Zeini opened the dam at Ab fi

n . Manja , the Nile havi g risen on that day to twenty cubits

22nd Tat . This was on the day of , the first Coptic month ’ The Daw ad ar used during the Sultan s absence to ride out

Ma ari eh to t yy daily, and on his return to enter by the Bab

al - mi Nasr , preceded by the Chief A rs who had remained

behind in Egypt , and a strong body of troops . Immediately in front of him were runners and naptha throwers and his Meml ook s wearing swords and carrying lances with coloured

silk pennons .

These processions caused a great sensation in Cairo , and

the people received him with shouts of welcome . He used to ms picture hi elf as Sultan before he became so ; he had , in

u . fact , become very powerf l and was greatly feared ’ 22nd fi On Friday, the , when the Sultan s death was con rmed ,

the preachers did not offer up prayers for the Sultan , nor was ’ onl v i his name mentioned from the pulpits , but the Khal fah s

and some said , May God appoint our best over us , and not ” our worst . f i This state of af airs went on for a long time , Egypt remain ng i l . . w thout a Su tan , and likewise the dominion of Syria Dur ing this time the Ar abs committed depreda ions in the

eastern and other districts . They plundered a number of

off th e dwellings , carrying all cattle and sheep , and even

n r robbi g the women of thei j ewellery . An enormous number of Fellah in were kil led during these troubles besides messengers 5 4 TH E OTTOMA N CONQUEST OF EG YPT

rOad s f and others the were closed to travellers , af airs grew l ’ even worse when the Su tan s death became certainly known ,

n - and confusion reigned in Egypt . All ki ds of ill omened reports were spread as to the fate of the Sultan and his army . The most notorious in these depredations were the followers ‘ and a number of t h e Ashi r of the Arab Sheikh Ami r Ahmed

Ibn Bakar . They committed excesses , specially amongst

merch ants w h o the soldiers and h came in with the caravans

e i from Syria ; they killed gr at numbers of them , steal ng their property and camels . Those who escaped death were

e ff a stripp d bare . In fact , the troops su ered worse things t the hands of these Arabs than they did from Ibn ‘ Othman w i and this after they had reached safety, bet een Kat ya al i and S ih yyeh . It was also rumoured that the imported Memlook s had planned to come down from the barracks to loot and burn

K al - ili i s han Khal and k ll the Turki h merchants there , for ‘ they said , These merchants are on the side of Ibn Othman , ” and exulted in the death of our master . When the Dawad ar heard of this he summoned the offi cers 55 [ ] in charge and said to them , I look to you alone to ” prevent this sedition , and forbade them to leave the barracks .

Daw ad ar Had it not been for the timely intervention of the , l n who smothered the smou deri g insurrection, Cairo would have

l s been completely wrecked by the imported Mem o ok . During the same month the Dawad ar gave his attention to the m anufacture of certain weapons of war , such as wooden shields and muskets and other things of this nature . It was reported that he would become Sultan before the i return of the army . The mover in this matter was Am r i ‘Al a Takt Bai , Governor of the Citadel , and Am r l n, second w ar r Da ad . As on the previous F iday the preachers did not ’ mention the Sultan s name in the prayers . ‘ ’ After Amir All an s letter giving an account of the defeat l ’ of the army and of the Su tan s fate , there was an entire All absence of any authentic news for about forty days . THE OTTOM A N Co NQ UEsT O F EG YPT 5 5

i i k nds of rumours were afloat , one to the effect that Jan Bird

al - n Ghazali , Governor of Damascus , had stopped any goi g to

Egypt and had detained the army in Damascus .

i ed d ah News also arrived from Am r Husein , Deputy of J , ’ ‘ al - i al - Othmani n and Re s Selman , that on proceedi g on the way to Hind (along the Arabian coast) with the army before i i mentioned and arriv ng at Kamran (near Zab d , in Yemen) , n i a Hi d v llage , they built a fortress with flanking towers , n Am i completi g it in about five months . r Husein then

l al - dispatched a body of troops towards a place ca led Lihyah ,

a s and another to M ra , whilst he him elf with the rest of the

al -Fi f army remained at Beit tyah for about a month . A ter ’ that Ami r Husein and Re i s Selman proceeded with their ‘ i al - troops against Zab d , in the possession of Abd Malik , ‘ brother of Sheikh Amir . T his he besieged , and captured it on Friday morning , the

20th - l A irah 92 . a kh . . 2 of Jumada , A H They found a large population there . The same letter also announced that i Husein , after taking Zab d , attacked the fortress of the town of Aden , and nearly took it . Also that they had appointed ’ i As al - Gh firi s Memloo ks to the command of Zab d one of hraf , one i of the Am rs of Tens named Bars Bai . The latter had with

Memlooks i i him some and followers , be ng j o ned also by a body of about Arabs . So when Bars Bai became i possessed of Zab d he governed the place like a Sultan, and ’ n Daw ad ar f l appoi ted a , a treasurer , and o ficials as Su tan s do . He a nd his troops acquired great spoils there . Dur ing this month also the Dawad ar inspected the troops i in Ca ro . The inspection took place from his house . He thought this necessary because he had intelligence that a num ber of ships had been sighted outside the frontier towns of Al exandria and Rashid and he was afraid they might have

‘ been sent by Ibn Othman . So he lost no time in parading l the soldiers and tel ing them to be on the alert, and to get n their kit ready in case this news should be co firmed . Then ff in the meeting broke up and the soldiers went o frantic haste . 5 6 TH E OTTOMA N CONQU EST OF EGYPT

r On Saturday, the fi st day of Ramadan, many of the Deputy Judges called on the Daw ad ar and congratulated him

. i on the new month The three Chief Judges and the Khal fah , i ‘ t Al being prisoners of Sel m Shah Ibn O hman at eppo , were

56 . 1 2 [ ] unable to return to Egypt On Sunday, the th day of

n 1 st Ramadan , correspondi g to the of the Coptic month a 20 B bah , the Nile remained steady at cubits it had risen in higher the previous year , and continued unabated until the

s r l t of H atii . Then came the news by a messenger [already related in 46 4 . 7 pp , ] of the miserable condition of the troops who ’ al - Gh firi s reached Damascus , of the treachery of former ‘ friends, and that Ibn Othman was sole master from the

Al h Daw ad ar Euphrates to eppo . W en the heard of this he ordered the Vali to take possession of the houses belonging ‘ amark ndi - i to S a and Yfinus al Ad ili . So the Val went there

’ l Samark and i s and arrested their fami ies and retainers , placed servant in irons , and put seals on his stores and on those of ‘ - Y finus al Ad ili . They had been in secret correspondence i ‘ ff with Sel m Shah Ibn Othman , about the a airs of the Sultan and the country . But the master of the house has the best

knowledge of what goes on in it .

1 7th Daw ad ar On Friday, the , the said the Friday prayers , i and then went on to meet the Chief Am rs , who were arriving

from Damascus ; he had heard of their reaching Belbeis . [The list of names is here omitted ]

as s s a:

n f The rem ant of the army came , in the most piti ul state of

e n nak dness , hu ger , and weakness , with their garments

“ opened at the neck , and manifested their grief about the

Sultan . n Thus the Amirs and the army made their way in . [A other list of names is omitted ]

s s i s

1 3 all m i Thursday, the th , witnessed the arrival of the A rs

Daw ad ar u that were left . After greeting them the ret rned

5 8 TH E O 'I‘ TOM A N CONQUEST or EGYPT

in accepted their compact , confirmed by oath his presence , and became Sultan . The accession of the Dawad ar to the Sul tanate took place as will be described .

5 8 i l l - Th e [ ] At this po nt we wi l return to Ashraf a Gh firi . [ ’ ‘ al - Gh firi s n story of advance agai st Ibn Othman , his first success and subsequent defeat in the battle of Merj Dabek , ’ al d is of the S tan s eath , and the disappearance of his body here repeated, which have been already told in greater detail in 41 pp .

s s a: s

It was extraordinary that al - Gh firi was not bur ied at the i a i College on which he had spent some d n rs , think ng

in fine that he would be buried a tomb , but it was destined to be otherwise , and he lay stretched out on the waste, the prey of wolves and leopards . He died at about the age of 78 1 5 , having reigned over Egypt and Syria for years 9 25 months days , every day of which seemed to the people a thousand years .

- As to his appearance , he was tall , bulky, big bellied , fair

- - - complexioned , round faced , sleek eyed , and loud voiced with a circular beard scarcely showing any white hair in it . n He was looked up to with awe as a king, satisfyi g the eyes of all beholders with the magni ficence of his pageants . Had

his r l it not been for ty anny and exactions, he wou d have been

c one of the best of the Cir assian Sultans; and , indeed , one of the best of all the Sul tans of Egypt . On Mondays and Thurs

u days he sed to go down to the Royal Enclosures (for game) , and on Saturdays and Tuesdays to the Maidan . He used to go ‘ w ad rat do n by Sab H , preceded by a pair of horses with

dl - - gold sad es and gold embroidered saddle cloths, and he would often make ridi ng expedi tions on Bedouin saddl es and broad stirrups, and he used to fasten a golden girth round his waist

‘ - instead of the Ba lbec waist band . He used to wear rings of ’ ur ruby, t quoise, emerald , diamond , and cats eyes , and he w as i s addicted to smell ng sweet scents, such as musk, aloe , THE O ’l ‘ TO M A X CONQ UEST O P EG YPT 5 9

and amber . He was fastidious in his dress , fond of flowers , a n i fruit , nd other dai ties . He probably nclined to the N esimiyyeh views from his liking for associating with foreigners . He was fond of planting trees and of gardens , and

n . of listening to si ging birds , and of smelling fragrant flowers

r s He d ank out of gold cups , was fond of plea ures , eating and

n Kansfih Bi b ard i drinking greedily . He was know as Ibn l - a Ghuri . He lived constantly in this luxurious way in the

e kingdom of Egypt, obeyed and fear d by all , keeping a tight hold over the Amirs and Nawabs and the soldiers . He was ‘ n i u thwarted until he and Sel m Shah Ibn Othman , Emperor of Constantinople , quarrelled , and he went out , as I have

59 . [ ] related , to meet him , and such a tragedy happened as never happened to any other King of Egypt or elsewhere . i I have perused the h story of kings , And have not heard the like of such events Ti me never ceases to work wonders and strange thi ngs amongst

men , But such an event has never before happened to Sultan or

ruler .

Al - al - Ashraf Gh ari was our king .

But he practised tyranny and calumny amongst us ,

Death rendered inevitable his defeat with his army , That was written in the Divine Decrees i His deeds have recoiled on h mself ,

And time has brought the retribution of Fate .

Amongst the Sultan ’ s virtues it may be said that he was

- r h is n good natu ed , controlled temper , and consideri g his

- strong passions was not over violent . He had a great belief ’ in the dervishes and the pious, was a good j udge of a man s capacities , and was not vituperative in fits of anger . n He u derstood poetry , and was fond of instrumental i n music and s ngi g . He was not excitable . He was very fond l of reading history and travels , and col ections of poetry . He f i n was af able , lik ng j oki g and j esting in his company ; though rough —looking he was amiable and civil by nature — c ontrary 60 THE OTTOM A N CONQUEST OF EGYPT

to the Turkish character . He had no haughtiness or self

l orification g in him , nor the extreme effrontery shown by i former k ngs in their doings .

al - Din l When Jemal was hanged, the Su tan appointed ‘ ‘ u Ya fib M allim k , the Jew, to the Treasury . The latter acted

al —Din as Jemal had done . He considered himself entitled to do as he liked with the property of individual Muhammedans . In a single night the good silver nisf turned into mere red l copper . Adu teration of the coinage went on all through the l ’ Su tan s reign , up to his death . There is an axiom in the e i ” sacr d trad tion He who deceives us is not of us . [60] Amongst the evil practices he used to appoint the

— inspectors ; and Arab Sheikh s over fief lands and pious foundations, and these would take many times their due .

From this period the affairs of the country steadily deteriorated . Damascus ‘ and Aleppo also declined he used to make them

r i liable for large sums every year , and they in turn would w ng

fiefs the money from their peasant subj ects . So the owners of

anxiousto countr for and settlements were leave their y another , ff such was the oppression they su ered from their governors , more especially the Arabs of Jebel Nabulus, on account of the contributions that had been laid upon them for the infantry

ul t n at the time of the expedi tion . The res t was any hi g but good to the Syrian popul ation .

ed d ah Husein , Deputy of J , used to lay a tax of ten per cent n on the goods of Indian merchants, so they gave up comi g

ed d ah . into the port of J , and its prosperity declined There

- was a scarcity of cotton stuffs in Egypt, and also of goods imported from Europe , of rice and of leather the ports of Al exandr ia and Dami etta similarly declined European merchants refusing to enter them owing to the extortions l practised there . He p aced an impost on the sale of corn , th ree ni sfs being taken on every ard eb b from the seller and

n . buyer, and an equal amou t on melons and pomegranates

He even put an embargo on salt . He renewed many taxes of such a kind as were not even imposed by H uni ad es in his T H E OTI'‘ O M A N CONQ UEST O P EGY P T 6 1

i . t me . No important trader escaped this system of extortion ’ He laid contributions on the Ami r of the Faithful al - Mu mini n ’ ‘ al - Mustemsik Ya k fib Bi llah , and took a considerable sum i of money from him . He ncurred many debts , which led to his devising these schemes so as to pay the sum demanded of him . i i f Many Am rs d ed under his persecution , and several of icials were imprisoned until death .

a: a: Amongst other wicked acts of the Sultan’ s was the expulsion

' of the A ulad al-N as from their lands and employments without ml r Me ooks in . due cause , putting impo ted their places He suspended the payments to infirm people , orphans of both

w . sexes , and children , hich caused them grievous privations

u Yfisuf He removed the marble which was in the co rt of , ’ l n Inspector of the Su tan s private domains , know as the

al - u Baisari eh Nisf D nya , and put it in the Court of the yy in the citadel . He deprived the people of what they had been in the habit of receiving from the privy purse fr om time

re - i immemorial . He established the system of tax ng the fief- holders before the rise of the Nile and the sowing of the land , subj ecting them to insults and reducing them to misery . His avarice increased to such an extent that he wrung from the small cultivators a share of the profits they mad e from the

- a i cow dung collected out of the gutters in the Maid n, mak ng

f i n r them pay it into the imperial coffers . Every unct o a v and é t employ suffered hardship from his daily ex ortions .

i ul After the death of Am r Khair Bey, the treasurer , the S tan

l S took to managing the Treasury himse f . He used to pend

on l i some of the large sums of money he obtained , bui d ngs 61 [ ] which were of no benefit to his subj ects , on the decoration i d . T of walls , and the g l ing of ceilings his was a sheer waste of

. u run the public money He wo ld away from trials at law , l . as a chi d runs away from school None of the , trials with which he was concerned were conducted in a decent fashion , but under repulsive conditions . He used to pay no attention

Of to cases murder , but would hand them over to the sacred 6 2 THE OT 'J‘ OM A N CONQU EST OF EGYPT

tribunal , and the rights of the people in this respect were disregarded .

He was very negligent about signing edicts , few , in fact ,

ff . received his signature , and business su ered in consequence

A sh rafi This led to the purchase of old stamps for an , that they

i t h e might be aff xed to edicts for transaction of business . To describe all his faults in detail would occupy far too much S pace . i [Then follow the names of the Khal fah and the Judges , the

. d secretaries , etc , here omitte ]

a: an: s s [62] Among the buildings which the Sul tan erected in Cairo the following may be mentioned

Sh arabishi in The Mosque and the College , which he built at y i . e . ( the market of the makers of robes of honour, the

' n th e d e depot , stores , and quarters behi d the college , near y

- works , and the double pinnacled minaret which he added to the

l - z a . Mosque A har He also built the quarters there , and the in shops the markets behind the Mosque , and the dwelling .

h al - i i H e places at K an Khal l . restored the building of

l - a i i . Khan Khal l , and erected stores and shops there He built

l - al - Kantarah two dwel ing houses and two shops at Bab , and two dwelling - houses between the two walls and the mill

- ( near the dye works . He also built and highly decorated a

B und u ani i n n house for his son at k y , and erected a dwelli g i quarter and an n there . He made the Maidan below the citadel , and planted trees there brought from Syria , and arranged a supply of water by channels from the Nile . On this n spot he co structed the belvederes and lake , the hall of j ustice ,

- and the night shelter . He also built a Mosque behind the

n . Maidan and the Arab quarter , with a pulpit and a mi aret

il Dahi sh ah He restored the citadel bu ding , including the and

Baisari eh yy Hall , and the Hall of Columns , and the Hall of the Fish - pond He built the Coptic resting - place at al - Housh , and restored the kitchen at the citadel and the

n i . Fou tain of the Faithful , giv ng a vaulted roof of masonry THE OTTOMA N CONQU EST O P EG Y PT 6 3

He also built the quarters and stores at the little market of ‘ ‘ al - m Abd Mun i , the quarters and the depot at the great

Mah arah bridge , and restored the buildings at Maidan , near

‘ ' al - i l - the Kanatir Siba , bu lding it of the famous bezi stone ,

e it being formerly of brick . He also construct d an aqueduct , bringing the water from the Derb al - Khaul i to the Maurid at al- Halfa , restored the Nilometer , and at the same place he built the palace and the seats overlooking the river . He ’ Kantarah i w Kantarah ed id ah restored the Ben a il , the J , the

Kantarah al - Kantarah al -Kh arnfibi in Haj ib , and the , mak g h them high enough for ships to pass throug . He also restored the bridge of lions . He built the Mastabahs (seats and placed over them the pillars near the cupola of Ami r Yeshb ek

ri at Mata yyeh . He erected on the shore of the Salt Lake a

s l hand ome citadel with towers , and a mosque with a pu pit ; and he built on to the fortress at Rashi d a wall and watch l towers to protect it . He restored the towers at A exandria , ‘ 1 repaired the Akab ah road and the stone circle and built 63 a caravanserai there , with towers at the gate . [ ] He also i made storehouses there for the property of the p lgrims .

l in Az lem He bui t a caravanserai , with warehouses in it , ‘ like the one in Akab ah . He also dug wells in various watering places of the pilgrims . At Mecca he built a college with a hostel for the students and hermits there ; he also renewed the water - supply at

cd d ah Bazan , which had been cut off for some years . At J

- he erected a sea wall with several towers , to protect the port against the Franks this wall was one of the best buildi ngs i there . Many other good build ngs which were of service to

s the Muhammedan were erected under his auspices .

al - Gh firi To sum up , it may be said that the Sultan was the w i best of the Circassian Sultans , not ithstand ng some crooked

1 e se o si st o f e s o e i r e s some o fth e m m e a s r i n 100 e e t Th c n hug t n c cl , u g f i n iam e te r a i a ist i n th e e re o e r e i t a e a o f a r e d , h v ng c c nt c v d w h h p l g o e a r n i b uld rs. Th ese a r e ne ly i d e tica l n construction wi th th e Druid ica l ' ” ’ i r e s o f B ri ta i a m e r s D eser t o th e Exod us t i 1 40 c cl n ( P l f , p . , p . , Cam r i e b dg , 6 4 THE OTTOMA N OONQU EST or EG YPT

i ways . No succeed ng king acted like him , or possessed his

ualifi soaring ambition and determination . He had the q

of cations an emperor , and was a striking figure in royal

i z a al pageants . And there is no harm in quot ng this j

Bed r al - Din composed by Sheikh , may God preserve him , in

al - al - Kansii h al - Gh firi lamentation over Malik , Ashraf, on the

b efel occasion of the revolution aforementioned and what him .

as at as as as

64 al - Gh firi [ ] The sun of the empire of has set , ‘ O ri And the star of Ibn thman has sen . i Th s is the decree of the Lord of Heaven ,

And the world turns round for ever . Ibn ‘ Othman showed open hostili ty to him by taki ng the

citadel , And by preventing both the merchants and slave- dealers from

Memlo ok s bringing into Egypt, O r furs or sables , squirrels and foxes .

We have no more woollen clothes ; oh , the years we have waited for wool

ri But no merchant b ngs any . The Amirs came to the ki ng and said ‘ O Ibn thman is rebelling against you . i a a The great Am r was called S d n ,

‘ He bore the unusual surname of al - Aj cmi ; Mak arr i mi And the exalted Ashraf the A r of Arms , named

Erkmas , hi Sfid fin And the c ef of the guards named ,

He is as much trained as the other races .

e Anas Bai was the chi f chamberlain , brave in battle, a fine swordsman

Muhammed , called Chief Master of the Horse , was a son of

the Sultan ,

Most noble , valued, victorious ; ‘ The Sub - Daw ad ar was Ami r Allan ; and if you would hear of i the Chief Am rs ,

Chirk ess n They were Ibn , a great leader, and Tamr, k own as the Ar mourer

Jan Balat and Kurt Bai , some forty others, and more ,

TH E OTTOMA N CONQU EST O F EG YPT

“ : They said Peace is in the hands of the Lord of Decrees , Whosoever opposeth him turneth right guidance into error ;

to Man is the bearer of the trust committed him , ” u The lofty mountains ref se to carry it .

O d of ur Lord ordaine the sparing blood , f And saved the believers the trouble o fighting . The spies of al - Ashraf al - Gh firi returned hi They informed m of a plot against him . ‘ ’ t o O They said Beware of trusting Ibn thman s peace , ” w u And know that he is treacherous to ards y o .

fo r e He believed their words , and started Al ppo with his hosts for battle ; Ram He found the Turks [ ] fully armed , and the quivers

equipped with arrows . Such a struggle took place between th e armies as would have turned th e hair o f children white to hear of ;

Allah gave the Egyptians victory over the Turks .

Their cavalry was seen at noon bearing down upon them .

Man knows not what is laid up for him , N or towards what destiny he is moving ‘ O Ibn thman had troops lying in ambush on his left ,

th e Whilst our men were busy plundering Turks ,

They attacked on our right flank , and the Sultan gave a cry

for help .

And there were robbers by him .

He was thrown from his horse , and lay moaning

Bib ars A i i His cousin and l Bai Taw l hurried up to his aid , But courage cannot avail against numbers

They cut them up with the sharp sword . Glory to the Lord o f all movement

Al lah makes a cause for the death of each . ’ Al - Gh firi s a a i w defeat was gre t surprise , written in h story ith

letters of gold . What happened to him took place on the 2nd of Rejeb of the

922 . A H . year .

66 G od to u [ ] I ask brighten the future , and that He sho ld make the gainer into the loser once more That it m ay please him t o remove shame from us by giving

revenge, By bringing defeat on the head of the infidel TH E OTTOMA N CO N QU EST O P EG Y PT 6 7

o f al - Gh firi l desire revenge for the death , maybe I shall attain my wishes ;

J o m o n h d a y will be ine t at y , and they will sing to the string or the Tar

- e n Then I shall not fear the bird of ill om , if it croaks in our

e house or flies ov r it . ’ - h ii r s h e his Al G i end was a strange thing , went stalking with foot to hi s death a We had taken all things into ccount , but that which befell

hi m did not cross our minds .

al - Gh firi I weep for , a well of blood flows for my grief I long for eyes from th e people [to help in my weeping] ;

su From early morning till the n set . During the time ofi hi s reign happiness kept watch over him till th e evil eye struck him di The steed sappeared amongst the enemy , it threw him, he

i d . d e , tears flowing from his eyes All who were jealous for him were glad when he had set out d against the rai er . e I have lik ned this army to a garden ,

o n m n In which the flowers the branches are the horse e ,

Th e 0 11 a th e skirt the coat of m il is zephyr on the river ,

10 h e . And , appears like a drawn sword The vestment over the armour was as a full —blown red rose amongst gardens The bunting was like gilt branches of willow gu arded by sword i e . poles [ . swords in lieu of poles]

Th e e l wounded bodi s were ike the jasmine , encircled by red

poppies . In the sky of the battle appeared horsemen like stars adorning their uniform

' The s ea r- - p points were like shooting stars , and their helmets

like stars on suns . l The Sultan was like the ec ipsed moon amongst them , their

th e i strokes on shields were l ke thunder . Methought arrows were being launched from the rainbow at the armies in a dust - storm like ni ght The sky raining penetrating darts on the enemy and incessant

rain . 6 8 T H E OTTOMA N CONQUEST O P EG YPT

- u These soldiers were like garden fr its , their blood the spilt j uice of the grape

one This yellow as the colour of the apricot , another like

a of the colour of the Jnjube, nother like that a helmet . No one has ever seen such an engagement as this one

not N nor B ark fik Do speak to me of asir , of .

i ff th e The Am rs resemble fruitful trees in the gardens , di using most exquisite perfume

or and The guns hurled large q uinces , pomegranates , remind one ( i ) of the proud stallions

u to l a How m ch do I try conso e my heart , and say to it , He rt ,

reflect,

N m h e Where is Suleiman , where i rod , where Pharao , and wh re Caesar

67 are [ ] Where the kings of other times , and he with the two

horns, called Alexander Where Ch osro es N au shi rw an and his pavilion i e . He is dead , and his palace ( . at Ctesiphon) remains deserted ;

Everything passes on by the decree of the Ancient of Days .

It is only the first and last who abides .

Were but a porter of this town to bet on a game , and lose , We of his ki ndred would be sorry for his defeat

h al - Gh firi What , t en , say you to the Sultan , being stripped and killed and dying in distress (1 Fifteen years ni ne months and twenty - fiv e days it was exactly

from the beginning of his reign .

Gh firi A marvel there was in the death of , nothing fated can be averted by caution The day he rode out with the cavalcade he knew not what was written on his forehead The tongue of circumstance told him that there remal ne d of

s hi life three months .

of Awake from the sleep of carelessness , shorten the length hope ; N ine days of the month must pass , and on the tenth comes thy

destiny . ‘ ’ u O a The Sultan was a chief courageo s , the rear of Ibn thm n s army seemed to be wrecked ; THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EGYPT 6 9

‘ Th e his O wind blew and loosened boat , Ibn thman was floated

O H , and his victory was manifest ; i The sh ps were sunk , and the sailors , with his sword he drove

them all into the sea . Their bodi es and their blood made their sea into a land crowded with corpses And when he sailed away their land was as a sea flowing with

blood .

The Creator , our Lord , the Lord of Glory, had unveiled for

him the bride of the beauty of his kingdom , But hid from him that he would fall dead from hi s horse on the day of battle hi m It was concealed from that he would die defeated ,

And that his place of burial would never be known . How many an augury he drew from the sand and the saint ’ augurs , God s augury is the most potent hi So all that he was depending on blew away, and t s no bird hi m had ever revealed to . I begi n and end my verse by praising the Chosen One The lizard and the shoulder of mutton and the camel spoke 1 to hi m ;

The trees hastened to his service , and the gazelle , whose tradi tion is well known The stones in the palm of hi s hand spake to him

Th e hi m moon was slit in two for , after it had reached its full size and brightness ' He satisfied his army with (a little ) food , and the water hi flowed gushing from s finger . ‘ If they say Ab fi al - Neja al - Aufi is unequalled in the city for his poetry , 68 O [ ] thou who comest to hear the pearls of his verses , Take and write down the wonders of his chronicle

1 ‘ ’ For t e se m i ra e s r id e A b a N u a im De la il A l -N u b uw w ah h cl , 2 2 A Je e ss ame Z a i a a tt m e to oi so n th e 2 3 . e , w n d n b pt d p . ro e t a t K ai b ar b re ssi a k id a nd a i n s e e e i t i n e a P ph h y d ng , h v g t p d d dly o i so a e i t e ore th e r o e t w h o a te b u t a mo e th e p n pl c d b f P ph , uthful wh n ’ Z ai na w as i d e e d w as d i sco v e re d . b mm ed i a t e ly pu t t o d e ath ( Hugh e s

D ictiona r y of Isla m) . 70 THE OTTOMA N GONQUEST OF EGYPT

If one comes to v o u d e ma nding the time and the story of th e

Kings , Te ll him that the Sun o f a l - G hii ri has se t and the Su n of ‘ Ib n O h a s thman risen .

h the d e o f th e G o d of e a th e e T is was ecr e H ven , and world go s

round for ever .

AN ACCOUNT OF THE REIGN OF ASH RAF ABU

A L- NASR TUMAN BAI

This Sultan was the 47th of the Turkish Kings and their

2 1 st sons in Egypt , and the of the Circassian Kings and their sons . He was originally one of the slaves of Ashraf Kait Bai ,

' b v Kansnh al - Gh i i ri having been purchased the Sultan , whose protection he sought on grounds of relationship . After h im purchasing the Sultan presented him to Kait Bai , for 1 s which reason he was called T il man Bai Min Kan fih . He 2 Of Me ml o ok s became one his Kitabi , and retained this position until the accession of Malik Nasir Muh ammed Ibn

Kait Bai , who gave him horses , uniform , and slave boys , and

- he became one of the persons promoted by al Nasir . For some time he was a page in waiting , then one of the personal suite , remaining in this position until the accession of his

Kans l - firi kinsman iih a Gh . This latter conferred on him the

i b e A H 9 1 0 rank of a Decur on , which retained until the year . then when the Sultan ’ s son died the Sultan gave him the

Ta blkhanah Emirate of the , and made him keeper of the

s cellars in the place of his decea ed son . 9 1 3 In this post he remained until the year A . H . , but when

‘ i A z d am ar Ali Chic Dfaw ad ar the Am r Ibn Bai , , died , in the

a al - N month Jum da Ula , whilst travelling in Jebel abulus , the Sultan gave him a robe of honour , and made him Chief

Daw ad ar i f instead of the deceased Am r . He kept this Of ice

1 ’ F o r u se o f M i n se e S o b e r nh e i m s a r ticl e o n Janb alat i n E nc cl o e i m y p d a of Isla . 2 F r o m i i 9 2 i t a e a r s t a t t e se e r e M e ml oo k s w h o e re o n , , pp h h w w

a r e giste r . TH E OTTOMA N OONQU EST O P EGY PT 7 1

‘ a until the Sultan left on his expedition against Ibn Othm n , when he was made Viceroy during the Sul tan ’ s absence He conducted the government dur ing this time extremely well ; the people were contented and the troops left behind in Egypt f . Dawad ar obeyed him He combined the of ices of Chief ,

Lord High Chamberlain , Chief Inspector , and Viceroy . He used to ride out towards the Matariyy eh every Monday and t Thursday , passing through Cairo af er entering it by the

l - Bab a Nasr . He was preceded by a strong force of soldiers i and chief Am rs , by runners and slaves who fired naptha f rom instruments , and there was great commotion in Cairo ’ as he passed through . He also opened the dam in the Sultan s l absence , which occasion was observed as a pub ic holiday . 57 t [Here follows the story already told on p . of h e choice Tfiman l i of Bai to be Su tan and his refusal , and of the Am rs ‘ Ab fi u d referring the matter to Sheikh S fi . ] Tii man Bai pleaded a variety of excuses— that there was l no money in the Treasury , so he cou d not spend anything ‘ on the Army ; that Ibn Othman was master of Syria and

0 11 i was advancing Egypt , while the Am rs would not consent to go upon a second expedition . He also said that if he

ul became Sultan they wo d betray and depose him , and w imprison him in the frontier to n at Alexandria , and only T retain him on the throne for a short time . hen followed the n i administeri g of an oath of fidelity to the Am rs, and the fiman acceptance of the sovereignty by T Bai . On Friday , 1 4 f the th of Ramadan of this year , a ter saying the early

. Daw ad ar th e morning prayers , the , accompanied by chief i i Am rs , and preceded by men carry ng lamps and torches ,

al - rode up to the Bab Silsilah and took up a position there . He had started from his house in the Bab ash ak road by the i n r — Sal bah Gate , weari g a light tu ban and a white cape the Amirs accompanying him being similarly dressed — and being i greeted as he passed by voices pray ng for blessings on him , f and by cheers rom the women at their windows . On arrival at the Bab al - Silsilah he sent for the Amir of the Faithful 72 THE OTTOMA N OoN Q UEsr OF EGYPT

‘ ‘ Ya fib A i al -Mu e w k , father of the m r of the Faithful t ekkil ala

l . Am i m A lah The r attended at the su mons , accompanied by

H ar fin i al - Mutew l Seyyid , son of the Khal fah Muhammed ekki ‘ i ala Allah , and their cousins the children of Khal l . Others attended with a number of Deputy Judges from

Cairo . [Names omitted ]

a:

i When all were assembled , including the chief Am rs and i others of high or low rank , and the troops , Am r of the ‘ Faithful Ya kfib produced an authority from his son

al - M ute w ekkil Muhammed to represent him , with full powers 70 [ ] in all matters concerning either himself or the Khalifate . He had sent confirmation of this by the hand of Kadi Shems

l - Di i s a n Wa h . Ibn h This was accepted as correct . It had been rumoured that the Khalifate would be conferred on

i h i al one of the sons of Seyyid Khal l , since the K al fah ‘ Mutew ekkil ala Al lah was a prisoner in the hands of Ibn

‘ ‘ Ya k fib Othman , and his father had abdicated the Khalifate, but when this document was produced bearing the authority of his son the people were satisfied . f ‘ Others also , being prisoners in the hands o Ibn Othman , were not present at the ceremony of swearing allegiance . [Names omitted ]

>l< >1< >1< None of the distinguished Shafi‘ i deputies were present at

i B r ni this ceremony except Sheref Yahya Ibn u d i . The oath was administered to the Sultan by the Khali fah

’ ‘ ‘ i al - i Ya i i b i Am r Mu min n k , and witnessed by Sheref Yahya

Burd i ni Ibn , and a number of deputy j udges representing

al - Mute w ekkil i Muhammed , the chief Hanef Judge Muhammed

Ibn Shah na also attended at the close of the ceremony . As soon as the oath h ad been taken the royal insignia were brought to the Sultan , that is to say , the black cloak ,

‘ B w i ed a . the black turban , and the sword The rites of investiture were completely performed he assumed the title

' — - a ri of al Malik al Ashraf like his kinsman al Gh i i . Then his

74 THE OTTOM A N CON QU EST OF EGYPT

i of Am rs , who had remained behind at Damascus after the m 1 i i troops had left . A ongst these were ( ) Am r Jan Bird al - i Ghazal , Governor of Hamah he had aspired to the

2 i a u Daw ad ar governorship of Damascus ; ( ) Am r S d n ,

71 3 i Kansfih [ ] Chief of the Corps of Guards ; ( ) Am r Kurt , i one of the chief Am rs , who arrived sick . On their arrival they found that the Dawad ar [Tfiman Bai] had succeeded to the

' ' f i D w ad ar . Sii d ii n a throne This gave of ence to Am r , the , in n who , whilst he was absent Syria , had been cou ting on becoming Sultan himself . His wish , however , was not realized .

On their arrival they went up to the citadel , made their

l . obeisance to the Su tan , and then went to their homes i Then came news from the Am r of the Arabs of Hamah ,

‘ mi al - Din al - l l anash A r Nasir Ibn , that Ibn Othman had sent w a detachment under Ibn Su ar , who had declared his allegiance Kab fin to him . At , near Damascus , they were met by Ibn

Hanash , and a bloody battle ensued , in which a number of

‘ ’ I bn Othman s men . were killed . The rivers of Damascus were let loose against them , their horses stuck fast in the mud , and a great number of them perished in this way , as told by the reports received . Then I wrote

‘ e O a o u m e e him to a a e T ll Ibn thm n , if y t , t ke dvic ,

N ot to t o a e be rash and bew r ,

w a a a d u e e Lest he ithst nd Syri n without for thought ,

a th e n o f a a And run ag inst sti g Ibn H n sh .

Along with the Ami rs many of the notables of Damascus came with their families , for after the defeat of the army Si and the death of Bai , the Governor , confusion reigned there .

Some of the people of the city attacked the others , plundering ’ e the brokers quarter , killing a numb r of persons , and taking

t . l their proper y The Frank merchants were simi arly treated , and terrible riots prevailed . Th e j udges and leading native merchants of Damascus had their houses pillaged , and this

‘ and the troubles caused by Ibn Othman , and the general THE OT TOM A N OONQU EST O P EG YPT 75 ruin of affairs in Egypt and Syria led to the quitting of th e city by the maj ority of them . Wh en the Sul tan learnt of the success of Nasir al - Din Ibn ‘ l anash b e l against the troops of Ibn Othman , appointed him

Governor of Homs . It was said that imperial instructions were sent to him to the effect that if he coul d defeat Ibn

‘ ’ Othman s army the Sul tan would make him Atabek of Damascus and that Ibn al - IIanash replied that if the Sultan

u wo ld assist him with troops , he would collect a force of Arabs and personally guarantee the defeat of Ibn ‘ Othman ’ s

’ a l - H an s s army . One of a h ancestors was formerly Governor

in s of H o .

i - On the same day a person named Inal , the squ nt eyed , arrived . He had been appointed Deputy of Safad by Jan

i al - i Dawad ar Bird Ghazal . On sending his and executive f in Of icials to Safad they were attacked by the habitants , and not allowed to enter the town , and some , it appears , were killed . So he went to Egypt to be invested , meaning to return a nd take revenge on the people of Safad . 1 7 t On Monday , the th , the Sultan paid the roops in his

n e private grou ds . On the same day th re arose a dispute among the Ami rs as to their various offices ; there was also

‘ i Al Sub —Da w ad ar a quarrel between Am r lan , the and Jan

i al — a i Bird Ghaz l , in which both parties overstepped the bounds of moderation . Then the Sultan gave orders for the inspection of the troops who had not taken part in the in i . expedition , but rema ned behind Egypt He also proclaimed that any one who had taken possession of arms or clothing belonging to the troops was to restore them at

enaltv d once , under p if denounce , of immediate death by 7 [ 2] hanging . Information had reached him that a number of servants and slaves o n the expedition had stolen many things

in . the shape of money , arms , uniforms . etc Amon g st matters o f less consequence it may be mentioned that the Sultan , on his accession , ordered the stone seat to be p ul led down which al - Gh uri had put up in his private 76 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST OF EGYPT

u 1 gro nds , in place of the dais which Ashraf Kait Bai used to sit on so the stone seat was replaced by the dais once more , l and the Su tan used it . It had been broken , but he had it repaired , and made a yellow cloth covering for it . He used it as a j udgment seat for hearing trials, like Ashraf Kait Bai , and I said

The Dais of Justice has come back , The Mastabah of Injustice has been pulled down

‘ Tfiman Bai h as b ecome amongst the people

o ne As who causes the wolf to live with the sheep in peace . Oh 1 what a King he is 1 his justice has become notorious u Amongst Arabs , and people of other co ntries .

1 8 On Tuesday, the th , the Sultan sat on the dais and in l reviewed the troops his private grounds, and enrol ed

Memlook s about two thousand , and gave appointments to i some six chief Am rs who were in Cairo . He gave the command

i i al — i of the troops to Am r Jan Bird Ghazal , who had aspired to be Governor of Damascus . On the same day the Sultan arrested the Mihtar Muhammed Fuj fili and his brother ‘ Ali n , Superi tendent of the Wardrobe in the service of the

' l - r l - Din al - Alw a i a Gh li i . a Sultan He also arrested Jemal h , ’ Dahi sh ah ii man Guardian at . This was the Sultan T Bai s l w fol o m . h first j udgment , given for the g reason W en he came to the throne he inspected the treasuries and found them

in . empty , with neither a d ar nor a dirhem in them The Sultan al - Gh firi i had , on the death of Am r Khair Bey , appointed

al these two , Muhammed the Superintendent and Jemal Di n the Guardian , as financial advisers , and they did as they i pleased with the money . They became nsolent and interfered in affairs which were out of their province , never thinking that the Sultan al - Gh firi would die when he did and it was this belief of theirs that was one of the chief causes of their

: ruin . Some one rightly said These are things to make ” fools laugh , and the wise to weep at their consequences .

1 a tfo r m i oo e n so a . Pl , h gh w d f THE O T'I‘ OM A N CONQUEST o r EG Y P T 7 7

20th u On Thursday , the , the Sultan held a grand f ll dress court , he himself being seated on the dais in his private

u gro nds , and conferred robes of honour on about twenty

Ami rs [names omitted] .

>k s

73 25th the [ ] On Tuesday , the , Sultan conferred a robe of

Of i r honour on the Sheikh the Arabs , Am Ahmed Ibn Bakar , i and confirmed him in his appointment . The tribe of the Am r

r had committed excesses during this year , such as do not occu

n e at the hands of the Franks , murdering people and plu d ring

al property . Notable outrages were committed by Ibn

udh ami i J on the troops return ng after their defeat , and by ‘ ’ alfDaim n the tribe of Abd in the east of the cou try , in the

u shape of pl nder and murder , and no one troubled himself nf about it . However , a robe of honour was co erred on the

Sheikh , and no more was heard of these doings . 27th On Thursday , the , the Sultan gave robes of honour i to several Am rs [names omitted] .

a: s

74 29th ’ [ ] On Saturday , the , the Inspector of the Sultan s private domain came up with the festival robes and displayed them to the Sultan , spread out over the heads of the porters .

ri On Sunday , the last day of the month , Nasi Muhammed

’ Ibn Bal Bai al - Mu eyyed from Damascus arrived with the news that Selim Shah Ibn ‘ Othman had taken possession of the ‘ Ali al - i city and citadel and had killed Bai Ashraf , Governor

r - i of the citadel , and thi ty six Am rs of Damascus , besides some ’ of the Sultan s subj ects living there . This Ibn Bal Bai

- arrived dressed as an Arab , with a native cloak and head dress . ‘ When it became known in Cairo that Ibn Othman was

- in possession of Damascus the people were terror stricken , ’ and said that it would be Egypt s turn next . They were

firmly convinced that it would come to this , and some i determ ned to fly to Upper Egypt . Both the Sul tan and the i Am rs and all the people were much disturbed at this news , especially as it was the eve of the Festival of Fitr and the 78 THE OTTOM A N CONQU EST o r EGY PT

sorrows of the people were still fresh , Owing to the death of the

Sultan , the defeat of the army , and the mourning for the men And who had fallen . I said

‘ O O d e a Ibn thman , sist from t king Egypt , Th e l and which is dignified with th e best of Imams ;

‘ O a al - Sh afi i a a and a ur chief Im m is , Polest r a s int ,

The i of a son of Idr s , a pillar Isl m .

u e a h e r She is called the Q iv r , and whoever att cks

G o d e h a d will br ak his back wit swor . ff d On Monday , the first day of Shawwal , the Sultan o ere up the festival prayer , and conferred robes of honour on the

Amirs and the usual persons . The Sharafi Yahya Ibn

’ al - B urd i ni mentioned the Sultan s name in the Khutba , and

s 5th a grand festival proces ion took place . On Friday , the , correspondi ng to the 4th of the Coptic month Hatur the Sultan exchanged his linen clothes for woollen he di d this too hastily .

i al - i i i On this day Am r Janem Ibrah m , one of the Am rs T b l anah a kh . of the , died 6th ‘ Ali ‘ i On Saturday , the , two persons named Sha ban , the

Muh te sib Kh ab i z - deputy of the , and Ibn , the corn broker , came to the Sultan and pointed out to him that if he were to impose a fixed rate on the market dues and on the crops it would be no hardship to the Faithful . But the Sultan would d a n . not hear them , flogged them both He publicly exposed

‘ i in Sha ban Cairo , causing him to walk bareheaded , and to be beaten as he went ; a crier proclaimed this to be . whilst the punishment for trying to re - establish unjust measures

75 . [ ] under a j ust government , after they had been repealed The Sultan then ordered Sha ‘ bani to be dismissed from the ffi o ce of adviser about the control of the market , and it was reported that he died from the blows he had received .

8th Daw ad ar On Monday, the , the deputy of Gaza , known ‘Ali as Bey , the hunchback , arrived with the news that Ibn ‘ - Othman had suffered a set back since his entry into Damascus .

- Disease was rife amongst his troops , deaths occurring daily . TH E OTTO MA N CO N Q UES 'I‘ o r EG YPT 79

He also said that there was a scarcity of grain and fodder ,

r that the A abs were endeavouring to stop the supply of barley ,

wheat , and straw , and that when any of the soldiers went out ‘ into the villages they were killed by th e Arabs . Ibn Othman had penetrated so far that he could not withdraw his cavalry

horses were roaming about eating the leaves of trees , and were

i o f much emaciated . On the same day Khuda Bird , Governor Al exandria , also arrived ; he had gone there to carry out i what had been settled and Am r Khair Bey , the architect ,

a i lso arrived . He had been to the fortress of Rash d to see l about the repair of the wa l and the towers . On the same d ay t h e Sultan conferred a robe of honour on

r Mal al - Mush arref a Tu k named Bai , and appointed him to be

Of Kansnh al - i personal steward instead Ashraf , killed in the ‘ engagement with Ibn Othman .

9th al - i On Tuesday , the , a quarrel occurred between Zein ‘ - Berekat Mfisa kh Ab fi al n . Ibn and Shei Su d , which arose thus A certain tanner and dealer in skins named Damr awi agreed

’ about the ‘ sale of some skins ; Ibn M ii sa acted wrongfully towards him , and a quarrel was started between them . Ibn

M sa Damraw i fi determined to arrest him . Then went to

' ‘ - Sheikh Ab i l al Su i d and implored his protection . The latter

M fisa sent an abusive letter to Ibn on the subj ect , which he took no notice of , but kept him waiting about the matter .

i h m ass i Then the She k sum oned Ibn M , and on his appear ng

m al - before him at Kau Jarih the Sheikh reproved him sharply, l saying You dog , how you do oppress the Faithfu This

u . infuriated Ibn M sa , who left his presence in anger So the n Sheikh ordered his head to be u covered , and that he be beaten with shoes on the head and body till he nearly died . i ‘ Al Then after securing him he sent for Am r lan , the Chief

Daw ad ar , and said to him , Put him in irons and go and i consult the Sultan about him , and nform him that the man

0 11 is inj uring the Faithful . The Sultan hearing the case ‘ Su fid in act sent to Sheikh Abu , tell g him to as he thought fit

M fisa in the matter . The latter ordered Ibn to be publicly 8 0 THE OTTOM A N CONQUEST OF EG YPT

i exposed in Cairo and then hung at the Zaw lah Gate . Ibn M ii sa was then brought out from the Sheikh ’ s quarters at

al - rh n Kaum Ja i , walki g bareheaded and in irons . It was publicly proclaimed that this was the punishment of a man who oppressed the Faithful . He was thus escorted to the mi ‘ l confines of Old Cairo , till at last they reached A r Al an , ’ Daw ad ar s N asiri eh the , house at yy . He desired to sign his

- death warrant by hanging or drowning , but the people pointed l out to the Sheikh that he owed the Su tan money , and that if he were hung the Sultan would forfeit it . So the Sheikh

- a repealed the death sentence , and Ibn M sa remained in irons ‘ ’ f at Ami r Allan s residence . Thus the af air between Ibn

‘ M nsa and Sheikh Ab ii al - Su fid was attended with grave con sequences , which nearly culminated in the execution of the former .

[76] After all this trouble of Ibn M asa ’ s an enemy of his

’ - - named Shihab al Di n Ibn al Sa igh appeared upon the scene .

’ He had taken steps against Ibn M asa during al - Gh firi s reign and when this affair occurred he again brought up a charge . So

’ he said , I can bear witness to a debt of Ibn Musa s to the ’ al - Sultan to the extent of dinars . Then Ibn Sa igh a ’ went to Ibn M sa s house , accompanied by eunuchs and s kava ses and a great many others , and attacked and arrested a ’ Ibn M sa s women , plundering their house property and

d . laying han s on his slaves , servants , and retainers When the Sultan heard this he gave up persecuting ii Ibn M sa , who then said that he could bear witness to a ’ i al — u debt of d nars against Ibn Sa igh , so the S ltan

‘ ’ told Ami r Allan to send for Ibn al - Sa igh and have him put in irons until he should have settled his accounts . As to ‘ al - n Sheikh Ab u Su ud , a storm of indignation arose agai st

M fisa him , on account of his treatment of Ibn , and the poor people and others found fault with him , saying , What ’ ” business has the Sheikh to interfere in the Sultan s affairs . 1 4 On Sunday, the th , the Princess , who was the daughter

8 2 TH E OTTOMAN CONQUEST or EGYPT

20th i Berekat M fisa Saturday, the , Zeyn Ibn went to the Sultan requesting him to restore him to his office ; but the Sultan paid no heed so he left him without effecting his n purpose , and remained under observation u til he shoul d have completely satisfied the claims against him . He returned M home greatly humiliated , after his quarters in the ilk Market h ad been illuminated in his honour and his adherents had perfumed themselves with saffron . Consequently they were much discouraged .

2 1 st f On Sunday , the the Sultan con erred a robe of honour

i al - Din on Shere Ibn Ivad , and appointed him to be con troller of the Treasury instead of Ibn M fisa dismissed from this offi ce . 22nd On Monday , the , the Sultan sent instructions to the troops that on Tuesday the first instalment of pay would be On 1 issued . the same day news came from India that the ships which the Sultan al - Gh firi had dispatched had gone down A with all guns and arms and other things on board . quarrel

al - Othmani had arisen between the commander , Salman ,

al - i ed d ah and the local governor , Am r Husein of J , and that each of them had gone to a different part of India . On the same day the Sultan conferred a robe of honour ‘ a mas al - on a Turk, K j , formerly Steward in Benha Asel , and appointed him to the Inspectorate of the Sh arkiyy eh

vi Province , after cancelling the pre ous appointment . The l Su tan also issued pay to the troops detailed for active service , a giving to each M eml ook fifty di n rs . Th is they returned to n him , and j abbered and went out of the gate of the grou ds in i a rage , intending to raise a revolt . But some of the Am rs advised the Sultan to appease them by paying them a hundred

in . d ars each , as usual So the angry soldiers were recalled , and on their return the Sul tan paid each Meml ook a hundred i ’ d nars, and three months pay , amounting to one hundred

“ H i n a or i n t o M os e m e o r a e rs w a s S o t e r I i a d , cc d g l g g ph , u h n nd , i n i n th e I i a n A r i e a o it a ar t o f S o e r C i na a nd clud g nd ch p l g , w h p uth n h , t h e nce ac r oss th e Ind i a n Oc e a n to th e e a st coast o f Af r ica . TH E OT ’ I‘ OM A N c o uounsr o r EG YPT 8 3

i and twenty d nars . On that day he paid the men of four barracks . It was reported that these troops were to march i w l out to Gaza with the Am rs , and to occupy the to n unti the

departure of the great expedition in the spring . At this time the Sul tan sent to arrest a number of Greeks of Khan al ‘ i i n Khal l , said to be correspondi g with Ibn Othman about f Egyptian af airs , and to have spies with them from him .

On arrest he put them in irons . The Sultan was reported to

m e have su mon d the little boy , called Kasim Ibn Ahmed ‘ i d ai - Gh firi Bey Ibn Othman , who had accompan e on the di Af expe tion . ter the defeat of the army he had returned i with the Am rs to Egypt , and having heard of a plot against l f him the Su tan had ears for his life , so he brought him up n to the citadel and gave him quarters by the reservoir, allowi g

him and his suite a competence . At this time Sherefi Yahya Ibn al —Atabek Ez b ek Ibn k i Tata h arrived in Ca ro . He had been living at Hamah , [78] but fled thence when the place was captured by Ibn ‘ Othman , and came to Egypt by sea from Tripoli .

Th e nf i Sultan co erred a robe of honour on Am r Takt Bai ,

i n Chief Chamberlain , and appointed him as adviser the

' i Y ii suf al - i Inspectorate of Buhairah nstead of Bedr , in f addition to the duties of his of ice . ‘ ‘ 26th al - i al - i On Friday, the , Kadi Abd Ker m Ibn J an , ‘ l - i i a . brother of Shihab Ahmed Ibn J an , arrived in Cairo ‘ He had been a prisoner with Ibn Othman in Syria , but

i - escaped into Egypt d sguised as a camel driver , wearing

- an Arab cloak and a skull cap . He was accompanied by

l - Dim ati l - arraki n i a a W . Ahmed y , a merchant in He nformed ul ‘ ’ the S tan that Ibn Othman s power had waned , that his

troops were at variance with him , that his communications

a al - Di n al - had been cut by N sir Ibn Hanash , and that the

Arabs were kill ing isolated soldiers in the villages . He also told that Ibn ‘ Othman had taken possession of the town of

Damascus and its citadel , and the citadel of Tripoli and Safad

r and their provinces , and was master of the country f om 8 4 T H E OTTOMA N CONQUEST O F EG YPT

i Damascus to the Euphrates . A number of his Am rs had been made governors in the towns he had captured , as in Aleppo,

It - ai Hamah , Horns , and other towns . was said that Ibn Hanash had sent an official communication to the Sultan to urge him to dispatch an expedition quickly , before Ibn ‘ t ul O hman had time to advance on Gaza . Then the S tan ‘ i al - i conferred a robe of honour on Kad Abd Ker m , and went down to his house . 29th On Monday , the , the Sultan gave a robe of honour to

al —B ed aw i the son of the successor of Seyyid Ahmed , who ‘ Al had been killed by Ibn Othman in eppo , and appointed ’ him in his father s stead . The newly appointed successor left the citadel with a great procession with banners held

A mad i eh . above him , and preceded by all the h yy dervishes After the conferring of the appointments they went down to the citadel , wearing their badges of honour , and were received with loud acclamations by the people of Cairo , who th o m lined the streets to view eprocessi n . These j udges assu ed their offices at a time when Cairo was in extreme consternation ‘ on account of Ibn Othman . On the same day the Sultan gave the final instalment of

0 0 pay to the tr ps detailed for the expedition , and the latter began to make their preparations for departure to Gaza . It was said that the Sultan paid about of these Meml ook s. ’ ai - i al - i On Friday Malik Umara Jan Bird Ghazal , Governor of Damascus , went up to the citadel and j oined the Sultan in the Friday prayers . Then the Sultan conferred on him a robe of honour and gave him the rank of Pasha in command of the troops detailed for the expedition . On leaving the

Raid anni eh citadel the Pasha went to his tent at yy , 79 [ ] leaving the city without a regular procession, being pre c eded merely by some led horses , drummers , and torch bearers and going before the Amirs and troops . 5th On Saturday , the , the Sultan ordered the expeditionary troops to leave the city that day, in order to j oin the Pasha , sayi ng that whoever failed to start would be dealt with

8 6 O TTOM A N CO N UEST o r EG THE , Q YPT

' off in . hot haste The Sultan also started , accompanied by i all the Am rs , and people said that it was the Sultan himself ‘ a l who would encounter Ibn Othm n . The Su tan took with him i the Governor of Aleppo , the great Am r, in irons , and a number of the bodyguard of Gaza , also in irons . The Governor of Gaza had reported against them that they had corresponded ‘ l with Ibn Othman , suggesting to him that he shou d come and take possession of Gaza unopposed . They , however , denied this before the Sultan , and said that Dolat Bey, the

Governor , had a grudge against the Gaza guards, and had invented this false story against them .

The u S ltan then gave them credit for speaking the truth , J i and sent an Bird , Governor of Damascus , to acquit them of the idle charge made against them . The Sultan released those that were with him , and sent them to the Inspector

General of the army to have their cases inquired into . 80 1 1 th [ ] On Friday , the , further rumours were current f ‘ to the ef ect that Ibn Othman had sent troops to Gaza , under i the command of his Am rs , one of whom was Iskender Pasha

’ and another Da ud Pasha . It was also reported that they had captured Gaza , and burnt some of the houses that the ‘ ’ 0 0 Governor had fled , that Ibn Othman s tr ps were advancing

ff . on Egypt , and that a airs were in a bad way ‘When the Sultan felt convinced of the truth of this news it was reported that he would himself go out to meet ‘ Ibn Othman . He gave orders that the roughs , the mis chie v ous in boys , the maghribis , and whosoever was hiding on account of a murder or was blood - guilty would receive a pardon on presenting himself . He would inspect them on the

Maidan , and give them pay and an animal to ride , and they would be attached to the corps of armourers during the ’ Sultan s advance . This proclamation gave offence to th e ' people , who did not like his pardoning murderers it would i have been better to have said noth ng about this . Complete confusion prevailed on that day throughout Am i Cairo the expeditionary soldiers left in a great hurry . r THE O T'I‘ O M A N CO N Q UES 'I‘ o r EG YPT 8 7

i al - i i m Khuda Bird Ashraf , one of the chief Am rs , for erly

u Governor of Alexandria , also left . He had no reg lar state

b ut procession , was preceded by led chargers , and escorted by a large body of his Me mlook troops ; some said three Al l hundred Memlooks. the people invoked blessings on his head , and prayed for victory for the troops , being terror ‘ stricken on account of Ibn Othman . 1 2 in On Saturday , the th , the Sultan sitting on the dais his grounds received the Ami rs and urged them to leave the i city that day . Then Am r Takt Bai , the Chief Chamberlain , said that he had decided to go to Buhairah , as he had been a i i ppo nted Inspector there . To this the Am rs replied that it ' was much more important for him to go out to fight Ibn

‘ Othman than to go to Buhairah , and they further told him that he did not go out with the Sultan ai - Gh uri when he went on his expedition , and that he had not been plundered of i baggage and uniform . To this the Am r made excuse that he was not well . A great quarrel ensued between them in the

Memlook s presence of the Sultan , and finally the imported planned to go and pillage and burn his house . Some of the

Memlooks are said to have struck him , and he suffered great

l a o m indignities at their hands . U timately he agreed to cc mi pany the A rs on the expedition , and the Sultan prevented the Memlook s from plundering his house . On that day the Sultan ordered the whole of the troops t o i parade for inspection also the Am r , who had been made

ai - i t Governor of Hamah instead of Jan Birdi Ghazal , lef the city with a military escort .

i Erz amak N ashif i That day Am r , one of the chief Am rs , also left the city . He formed a regular military procession , and was preceded by led horses and two drums , and had a banner held above his head . The Amirs gradually left the ‘ n Ibn city to j oi in the fighting against Othman . 1 3 On Sunday , the th , the Sultan reviewed the expeditionary troops in the Maidan . He went through the enrolment list m a second time , and only exempted a small nu ber . He also 8 8 TH E OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EGYPT inspected four barracks and registered most of the Meml ook s in them for the expedition .

' The sam e d ay the Sultan inspected a wooden vehicle drawn 8 1 [ ] by oxen , and carrying musketeers ; there were about thirty i or more of these vehicles . He also inspected camels carry ng an arrangement for musketeers to shoot from , on their backs , also wooden shields as a protection against arrows . So the S troops that day felt in good heart for the fight . The ultan d eclared that he was going in person to take part in the battle

‘ ‘ Othman and i against Ibn , he urged the rest of the Am rs to leave with all haste for the fray . But he gave them no money, saying that they must go out and fight for themselves, their ” l r chi d en , and their wives . There is nothing left, he said , “ e in the Treasury ; I am one of yours lves ; if you go out ,

I go with you ; and if you sit still , I sit still with you ; I ” have no money to give you . 1 4 l On Monday, the th , it was reported that the Su tan

i Berekat M ass had become displeased with Zein Ibn , and had restored him to internment , after he had seemed likely to

f M fisa be restored to his of ice . The Sultan had charged Ibn with the payment of a certain sum , of which he produced only a small amount , pleading inability to pay more . When the i sold ers had to be paid previous to their hasty departure , the Sultan put pressure on those who had debts owing , of

. M 13 8 5» whom were Ibn , and Muhammed , the Superintendent ,

al - Din Dahish ah and Jemal , Guardian of , and others , from whom arrears of money were due to help towards the payment of the soldiers .

i Kansfih al - On the same day Am r Fajir , one of the chief

i to i Am rs , left the city proceed on the expedition also Am r

Takt Bai , Chief Chamberlain . The latter had a procession , fifes two drums and , and some led horses going before him , like

Erz ama l - i k a Nash f.

s 1 5 ‘ On Tue day , the th , the Sultan inspected the remainder in i of the troops the Maidan , and ordered the Am rs with all the troops who were still left to start forthwith under penalties

9 0 THE OTTOM AN CONQUEST o r EGYPT

arrested them , and asked how they knew that the emissaries

were coming on this day , and said that they were spies of ‘ ’ i Ibn Othman s . After beat ng them they brought them to the ‘ i Daw ad ar house of Am r Allan , the great . At the house they D w a a ordered the emissary to dismount and salute the a d r . i This he refused to do , using violent language aga nst them . ’ He then drew his sword and threw himself on the Dawad ar s people ; seeing this the Daw ad ar ordered the Meml ook s to

compel him to dismount , who made him get off and took his

sword from him . They then fell upon him and his Turkish ut companions , beat them , stripped them , and p them in irons ,

after subj ecting them to outrageous insults . When the Sultan heard of this he summoned Amir Moghul ‘ Daw ad ar i al — i Bai Sikk n, whom Gh ur had sent to Ibn Othman , ’ and who had suffered abominable insul ts at the latter s hands . ‘ ’ He was now ordered to go down , and to subj ect Ibn Othman s

emissary to the same treatment . He took his comrades and went with them to Ami r ‘ Allan ’ s

house , with a view to subj ecting them to insults or to killing ‘ f them But Ami r Allan would not su fer this . ‘ al - n Then they brought Abd Barr Ibn Mahasi to the Sultan , in whose presence he expatiated on the merits and the ‘ greatness of Ibn Othman . He recounted how eight hundred

Egyptians were beheaded by him in one day , on his entry

into Aleppo, including the successor of the Seyyid Ahmed

al - Bed aw i and other notables who had remained behind ‘ there . He further reported that the troops of Ibn Othman amounted to over sixty thousand men ; that the Khutbah

was delivered in his name from Bagdad to Damascus , and that Al his coinage was current from Bagdad to Damascus . so that Ton his entry into Syria he set about building a wall with Kab fin t towers from to the ex remity of Damascus , securing the tow n by gates in the walls ; that he was animated by great

enthusiasm , and boasted that he would not turn back till he had conquered Egypt and killed all the Circassian Meml ooks ‘

there . He told how Ibn Othman would remain in seclusion TH E OTTOMA N CO N Q UEST o r EG YP T 9 1

i for a day at a time , while his soldiers killed the nhabitants

and committed atrocities . He said that they did not fast n duri g Ramadan , drank wine and b uzah , and smoked hashish [83] Neither did Ibn ‘ Othman say the Friday prayers except occasionally ; these ugly stories had been circulated

n - about him , independently of Ibn Mahasi , by eye witnesses

of the doings of his troops in Aleppo and Damascus . After

‘ ’ u this long acco nt of Ibn Othman s actions , the Sultan said ‘ O ’ in a fit of anger , You are a spy of Ibn thman s and have

come here to obtain intelligence for him . He then ordered ’ Ma asin s i Ibn h mprisonment in the citadel tower , where he

remained some days , after which he was released at the

‘ d li n Daw ad ar Sfi . intercession of Atabek , the

The hearts of the soldiers sank at this account . Then the l Su tan ordered two of the Arabs to be hanged , who had

guided the emissaries along their unknown route . It was also rumoured that a party of about forty of Ibn ‘ Othman ’ s

men had come with them , and were hidden in Cairo . On learning this the Sultan issued instructions to Khan ‘ ’ al - Khalili that no one was to harbour any of Ibn Othman s

men , on pain of being hanged forthwith . Then the Sultan sent for the letters brought by the

v emissaries , whom he had not given an inter iew . Amongst i them were a number addressed to the Am rs , executive officials ,

’ and Egyptian notables . It appeared after the Sultan s perusal of the letters that they were mostly expressed in

Turkish , the purport of them being as follows From his i ' Maj esty to Am r T irman Bai . It has been revealed to me that I shall become the possessor of the east and west, like ” Alexander the Great . Much of the letter consisted of “ threats and violent language , as for example You are

Me mlook a , who is bought and sold , you are not fit to govern .

I am a king , descended through twenty generations of kings , and have taken possession of the country by agreement ” with the Khalifah and the j udges . After many similar 9 2 TH E OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EGYPT

a expressions , the letter continued If you wish to esc pe violent treatment let an issue of coinage be struck in our

name in Egypt, and let the Khutbah be delivered also in our

name and become our governor from Gaza to Egypt ,

r while we will rule from Sy ia to the Euphrates . But if you

do not obey us , then I will enter Egypt , and kill all the i C rcassians there , ripping Open those with child and destroying

the unborn . He made so great a display of grandeur and power that may be God will desert him on account of his

excessive presumption . Wh en this letter was read to the Sultan he wept and was

Memlo ok s terrified . The imported had agreed that if the emissary came up to the citadel they would fall upon him

with their swords , so he did not appear there . The contents ‘ ’ of Ibn Othman s communication soon became know n among

the people , and led to great confusion . Everyone was on the

‘ watch for Ibn Othman , saying As his emissaries came to

u s when we did not expect them , so he may fall upon us ” unexpectedly . . People began to make strongholds for them in selves the neighbourhood of the city , where they might be ‘ hidden if Ibn Othman entered Cairo . Others decided to take i their fam lies to Upper Egypt, should his approach be con

firmed . A story was circulated that Khair Bey , Governor Al ‘ of eppo , who had rebelled and submitted to Ibn Othman , [84] had w ritten to some of the chief Amir s urging them to

‘ tender their submission to Ibn Othman , extolling his virtues

a and j ust tre tment of his subj ects , and assuring them that if he came into Egypt they might all retain their posts and

salaries . All this was mere trickery and deceit to facilitate

‘ ’ Ibn Othman s entry into Egypt . Then the Sultan proclaimed that the next issue of pay x d 23rd would take place on We nesday , the he sat on the dais

in his courtyard and the troops came up to receive it . Each ’ M eml ook i m n had thirty d nars and three onths pay , amou ting i to twenty d nars but they threw it down before him and said , We will not start until we have received one hundred dinars

9 4, THE OTTOMAN CONQUEST o r EGYPT

during my government . This was gratefully acknowledged

by the people , who blessed him for it . He would have been a within his rights , nd they would have excused him had he d one it , as the obj ect was to keep out their enemies, and he

could have replenished his Treasury in this way . But God i had d sposed him to do good , and he will reap his reward for

this hereafter . [85] On the same day it was reported that the Sultan had ’ l Mu a ed Mansfir sent to te l the adherents of yy and , and the Ami rs who were in Egypt to make preparations and to set

forth on the expedition , any man who did not go was to send

a substitute . It was said that some of the executive officials ,

servants, and eunuchs were charged to provide a considerable

sum of money to help the Sultan . He at once set about the

sale of clothing , arms , provisions , woollen stuffs , furs,

‘ sables , Ba lbec coats, and other things . He also took ’ some money from the Sultan al - Gh firi s son with which to

provide pay .

“ It was reported that the Sul tan sent some of the court officials to Atabek Kit al - Rahbi to escort him from the

fortress of Alexandria to that of Damietta . He also sent

Zé hir Kansfih imperial instructions to , at the fortress of

al - Alexandria , that he was to reside in the palace of Malik ’ a l - Mu a ed yy at Alexandria , that he was to ride to the mosque ,

and celebrate the Friday prayers with the people , and to make

excursions in the direction of the gardens of Alexandria . 25th i On Friday , the , Am r Khair Bey , Architect , one of the

m i i Ez b ek chief A rs, with Am r , the Gunner , left for the

expedition with the usual military procession . 26th On Saturday , the , the troops went up for an inspection V i parade , but none of the chief Am rs paraded , and the Sultan concealed himself in Dahi sh ah so the troops returned to their

homes after a fruitless errand . On the same day the Sultan issued a proclamation forbidding

all excesses by the people , and that no Jew or Christian was i to sell wine , beer , or hash sh , under penalty of being hanged T H E OTTOM AN CONQUEST o r EG YPT 9 5 w forth ith . But no one paid any attention to this order , and things went on j ust as before .

1 st n On Thursday , the , the newly appoi ted j udges of the previous month went to congratulate the Sul tan on the new month , and then returned to their homes . The Sultan then nf i ormed the troops that pay would be issued on Saturday , the

i M mlo k 3rd . e o He had agreed to pay fifty d nars to each , and also five months arrears of meat rations and forage

l . a lowance , which gave them satisfaction The Sultan also appointed about ten members of the Court to be Amirs of

h r ai - Ba makd ar Tens , amongst them one named K ai Bey j ,

Meml ooks . one of the best of Ashraf Kait Bai He also, it i was said , distributed one thousand d nars amongst the dervishes in the monasteries and shrines at Karafab and

ard ebb s elsewhere . He further gave five of wheat to each m monastery , desiring the to pray for victory to the Sultan

y and destruction to the enem . He also caused to be read a ’ kh atmah s number of from the Kor an at the shrines , including ‘ al - Shafi i al - those of the Imam , the Imam Laith , and others .

ul The S tan also urged the descendants of the Sultans , the i Am rs , and executive officials to make early payment of the sums assigned them towards the pay of the troops . It was said that he took a considerable sum of money from the ’ u al - Gh firi s al - Gh firi S ltan son , and that had , before he left for Syria , assigned to his son the amount of one hundred i thousand d nars ; such at least was the report .

3rd On Saturday, the , the troops went up to the citadel ’

ul . to receive their pay, in compliance with the S tan s orders [86] On that same day came the bad news that the army ff 24th that had gone to Gaza had su ered defeat on Sunday, the ,

’ ‘ ’ i - . a Gh firi s v of Dhu l Ka dah Strangely enough , pre ious d 25th defeat took place on Sun ay , the of Rej eb , there being l ff in on y a di erence of one day the two dates , a remarkable coincidence .

Briefly the account was as follows : Jan Birdi ai - Ghazali started for the expedition a few days in advance of the troops , 9 6 TH E OTTOMAN CONQUEST o r EG YPT the latter and the Ami rs following in batches in a very dilatory

l - . a i e manner Seeing their delay in j oining , Ghazal collect d a

i Erz amak al —N ashif party of Arabs and , accompanied by Am r , i one of the chief Am rs , who had been appointed Governor of o Hamah , and D lat Bai , Governor of Gaza , originally one of ’ ’ al - Gh firi s M emlook s W Meml ook s , ith a body of the Sultan s ’ advanced to Gaza . Marching along the Sultan s road , they ‘ ' ’ cut across Ibn Othman s force , and a fierce battle ensued

‘ l - i t ~ at a Sher at near Baisan . The O toman troops were com mand ed i by Sinan Pasha , who had Am rs and a large body of J i Turkish troops under him . The force with an Bird was only a small one . A most terrible fight ensued between them , ’ enough to turn one s hair grey . It resulted in the defeat of Jan Birdi and his Amirs and troops: Many Amirs were amongst the slain . [Names omitted]

. l a

Ami r Jan Birdi al - Ghazali and Amir Erz amak al - N ashif

Memlooks were reported wounded, a great number of the Royal and servants were killed and their heads hacked about with swords .

ai - i This news was said to have come from Am r Takt Bai ,

High Chamberlain . It was j ust after he had left to take part

ali i eh in the expedition, and was waiting at S h yy , that some of l the Royal Mem ook s came and reported what had happened .

So he sent to tell the Sultan of the terrible conflict . It was said that Ibn ‘ Othman ’ s men had taken possession of the

al - i Erz amak al -N ashif baggage of Ghazal and , after the battle , and that they were left with neither baggage nor arms, nor horses nor camels . This second victory added fresh vigour to nl the Ottoman troops . Of the Egyptians , o y he escaped whose ’ ai - Gh firi s life was destined to be prolonged . It was said that Meml ook s were those who had noticed the army (of the

Turks) , and were the first to flee , and so brought about this second defeat . f i In view of the many dif erent reports, Am r Sunbul , chief

9 8 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST OF EGYPT and had it not been for his servants who defended him from the Turks , they would have hacked his head , as they did that i i h u . of Am r K da Bird , who was killed

‘ ’ They also said that Ibn Othman s troops were in numbers as swarms of locusts that some of them were armed with l muskets (firing a leaden bul et) , and were carried in wooden n n carts , draw by oxen and buffaloes , movi g at the head of n the advanced gu ard and many other thi gs of this nature . . i Amongst those who also returned were Am r Dolat Bai , i Governor of Gaza , and there at the time of the battle Am r

‘ s i Bakhsh Bai , In pector of Granaries , brother of Am r Kurt i t in Bai , formerly Val of Cairo , wrongly repor ed as killed the battle of Merj Dabek ; he had been hiding with the Arabs .

o n n i Kir mas There als retur ed one of the subordi ate Am rs , k

l - a i . Rahb , reported killed in the same battle , and many others On the arrival of Jan Birdi al - Ghazali and Amir Erz amak al - N ash if at the citadel , the Sultan clothed them in sleeveless robes , lined with ermine , and they returned to their homes . There was general rej oicing at their safety for they were

Knights of Islam . and bands played in their honour outside their houses .

’ al - i i 0 0 On the return of Ghazal with the Am rs and tr ps , the correct list of losses was ascertained , and in every quarter there was mourning , as if it were the Days of Judgment . Orders were given by the Sultan that the first issue of pay

u 6th . wo ld be on Tuesday , the Early on the morning of this o l day the tro ps went up to the citadel , and the Su tan began

Meml ook n - fiv e i a to pay them , giving each twe ty d n rs , including the usual money for the feast of Sacrifices He i had first offered them thirty d nars each , and this they had refused but when they saw how serious matters were , and [88] that Ibn ‘ Othman was advancing and had even reached

- i fiv e i . Kat ya , they agreed to accept twenty d nars They went down from the citadel and set about arming themselves for departure . The same day the Sultan received the bad news that TH E OTTOMAN CONQUEST o r EGYPT 9 9

‘ ’ i Sinan Pasha , one of Ibn Othman s Am rs , who had taken w possession of the to n of Gaza , had put the people of the

— place to the sword , killing about a thousand men , women , and children . This act was perpetrated for the following reason During the engagement between al - Ghazali and Sinan

al - i Pasha , a report was spread in Gaza that Ghazal had ‘ h gained a victory over the troops of Ibn Ot man , and had ‘ ' Ali Daw ad ar killed Sinan Pasha , whereupon Bai , Deputy of

Gaza , and his troops set to work to plunder the Turkish camp , burning their tents and killing those Turks who were b 400 i n in camp and in the town , a out , includ g old men ,

s As children , and the ick . soon as the battle had gon e i i aga nst the Egyptian troops and their Am rs , Sinan Pasha returned to Gaza , where he discovered the destruction that had been wrought . He then assembled all the people of

Gaza , and asked them who had committed such outrages ; ‘ l d Ali Daw ad ar o they rep ie , Bai , the of the Deputy f Gaza , and his soldi ers ; we did none of it . Sinan Pasha then ordered a surprise search to be made in th e houses of Gaza uniform and horses were found in them belonging to the

Turks . Then Sinan Pasha said , When we entered Gaza did n 21 we disturb any of you , or plunder you of anythi g They replied , No . He said , Why have you done so to our troops to which they had no answer or excuse to make .

Then he ordered his soldiers to put them to the sword , and they massacred a multitude of them good and bad perished together . Such was the divine decree , and it has been rightly i i said , If Fate brings thee nto distress through the s ns of ”

i . thy past l fe , ask God to remove it, for He alone can do so 7th On Wednesday , the , a number of nomad tribesmen of

b . Ghazalah , Muhari , and Huwarah , arrived at the royal gates The Sul tan had compelled the Arab Sheikhs to bring a number of their bravest Arab horsemen to accompany his troops on the expedition . The Arabs assembled in great numbers at the Gizeh , and went thence to Rumailah to parade before the 1 0 0 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST OF EG YPT

M ml Sultan in the Maidan . The prestige of the e ook s had been damaged in the eyes of the Arabs and Fellahin on account ‘ of the defeats suffered at the hands of the Turks . Ibn Othman was in possession of Syria , the people felt sure that the Cir ‘ cassian Dynasty was tottering , and that it was Ibn Othman who was master of the country . Some of the people in reply to a demand from their Sultan , said , We cannot pay tribute until we are sure whether the cormtry belongs to you or to ‘ Ibn Othman we do not want to pay it twice over . In fact , confusion reigns on land and sea Heaven onl y knows what ” will happen . On that day it was reported that the Sultan had given orders for the messenger , before mentioned , who came from ‘ Ibn Othman , to be drowned ; and it was said that he had been actually drowned by night , and the Turks who were with him . At this time the Sultan began to distribute the grants to the troops for the Feast of Sacrifices , but he did not give any

89 Meml ook s i [ ] to the defeated with Ghazal , saying , You i ran away and did not fight at all you betrayed the Am rs , ” so that they suffered a defeat . At this time also a rumour ran amongst the people that the vanguard of Ibn ‘ Othman ’ s i army had reached Kat ya , and had taken the citadel of

i . T nah , which had been destroyed by its inhabitants This report , however , lacked confirmation . 1 7 Saturday , the th , was the Feast of Sacrifices , so the mi Sultan took part in the festival prayers , the A rs attending ,

- l . r as usual , in fu l dress uniform There was a g and festival procession , but the people were in great fear and trembling on account of Ibn ‘ Othman particularly on what they had heard of the plundering and killing of the people of Gaza , the taking captive of the women , and the massacre of the children . 1 2 On Monday , the th , the Sultan paraded the Royal n ammu ition column , which was to accompany the force . The wooden vehicles which he had made for the expedition were

1 0 2 THE OTTOMAN CONQUEST o r EGYPT

Feast of Sacrifices from the Sul tan . So the latter paid them 90 that day , after reprimanding them again , saying , [ ] You fled and brought a defeat on the Ami rs you did not

fight at all , and disgraced yourselves in the eyes of the ” people .

1 4 al - i On Wednesday, the th , Nasir Muhammed Ibn Shems al - Din al - K fi sfini , the Chief Doctor arrived at the Palace . He ‘ ’ had been a prisoner of Ibn Othman s in Aleppo , and escaped

a . thence with the Ar bs, and for a considerable sum of money they brought him to Egypt . He went up and had an

l . audience of the Su tan He had altered his appearance , shaved his chin , and disguised himself as an Arab , and thus

c his s . l managed to e ape He told story to the Su tan , and said that Ibn ‘ Othman ’ s troops were mutinous that he had lost an enormous number of camels and horses owing to snow in Syria that the prices of everything were exorbitant that

0 0 ff the tr ps were su ering from the cold and the snow, and the

‘ ’ loss of their horses . It was reported that Ibn Othman s troops had been in Gaza and had left it and were fleeing to the hills ; and that the Arabs were killing many of those whom 1 5 . th they found in the villages On Thursday , the , the

th e soldiers went up to receive their pay , but eunuchs said to

- them Sirs , there is no pay to day ; the country is laid

“ waste , the roads are infested by the Arabs , and the collectors and the Sheikhs of the Arabs have not sent any of the amounts due from them If by Monday any of it is received it shall be paid to you . So the troops left the citadel distressed . It was six months since they had received an issue of ration meat , and their pay was in arrears as well . The same day the Sultan conferred a robe of honour on

K ansfih Ra lah i j , one of the chief Am rs , who had been Governor i Sh ark i eh of Kat ya , and appointed him Inspector of the H n Provinces instead of aj mas , who had been fou d incapable of improving their condition . Elmas, the Western Inspector ,

a nd i i Ustad ar retained his post Am r Abrak , the Viz r and ,

’ also retained his ; the latter s dismissal had been reporte d . TH E O 'l ‘ TO M A N CONQUEST OF EG YPT 1 0 3

Egyptian affairs had then fallen into great confusion owing to a variety of causes .

On Friday the Sultan took part in the prayers of the day .

‘ n Sfid ii n ai -Daw ad ari Then he conferred a disti ction on Atabek , and appointed him to command the troops on the expedition . i i At this time , also , Am r Takt Bai , the Chief Chamberla n , i arrived . He had started w th the expedition to Gaza , but had

s ill é Af declared him elf and remained at S lihiyyeh . ter the

i al ‘ Gh az ali defeat of Jan Bird , and his return to Egypt , the rest of the Amirs remained at Salihiyyeh waiting for the i departure of the second expedition . So when Am r Takt

i d i . Bai arrived without the others , the Am rs were stressed The Am irs and the troops considered him incapable ; in fact , he was detested by the whole army . On this day the Sultan ordered the Arab tribesmen who had arrived

u i in the city to ret rn to their homes , as the Am rs had pointed out to him that the Ar abs would be of no use on i the exped tion . During this month the Sultan conferred a distinction on

9 1 i to al - i i [ ] Am r Inal , treasurer Am r Tara Bai , one of the Am rs

i him a of Tens , and appo nted Governor of Damietta , inste d of i the exist ng governor .

18 u On Sunday , the th , the S ltan received the bad news that ‘ Ibn Othman himself had left Syria with his army, and was marching on Egypt . He was said to have divided his forces into two , and to be sending one army along the royal route and another through the desert .

th e i On receipt of this news the Sultan assembled Am rs , and a council of war was held . It was reported that he would

Raid ani eh i himself go to yy and rema n there , and that the n troops would be formed i to two forces , one going in the

‘ ' direction of Aj r ii d and the other to the place whence i t the messenger had come . The Am rs had decided that h e expedition shoul d be dispatched at the beginning of the ne w year ; but when this bad news reached them confusion reigned m among them , and the Sultan ordered the to send out tents 1 04 THE OTTOMAN CONQU EST or EGY PT

Raid ani eh - quickly to yy , and to be on the look out , as Ibn ‘ Othman had reached Gaza .

It was said that he had gone to visit Jerusalem , and would n then march with his troops into Egypt . Some said one thi g

and some another , so that people were at a loss where to go l till this trouble should be over . The Su tan ordered the Inspector of the troops to go round to all the Amirs to urge them to send their tents to Raid aniyy eh that day— so this

was done . The Sultan also issued a proclamation to all Maghribis

a in Egypt and Cairo to p rade for inspection the next day . On l gth l Monday , the , the Su tan took his seat on the dais

in o a u the c urtyard , and a gre t n mber of the Maghribis came up , but on th eir arrival at the citadel the Sultan did not go out to

i - meet them ; he sent Am r Shad Bey , the one eyed to them , w h o said Th e Sultan commands you to select a thousand ” u of yo r bravest men to take part in the expedition . Where

a upon they sent to the Sultan , s ying It is not our custom n to go with the army ; we are only to fight agai st the Franks , i d d and not aga nst Muhamme ans , and they showe they were ‘ ’ on Ibn Othman s side . n The Sultan was an oyed by their reply , and sent to tell them that if they did not go out to fight the imported

Meml ook s would kill all the Maghribis in Egypt to the last man . At this time it was reported that Ibn ‘ Othman had sent a f letter to the Sheikh of the Arabs , Ahmed Ibn Bakar, of ering

him a pardon , saying Enter into our allegiance and receive

é li i eh ard ebb s our pardon , and meet us at S h yy with a thousand ” ‘ ’ - A . al of barley It was said that Abd Da im h med Ibn Bakar , ‘ who was a rebel , had gone to Ibn Othman to Gaza , and there I ‘ were endless stories in circul ation about Ibn Othman . On this Monday also the Sultan ordered a parade of all

k n Raid ani eh . ran s for the followi g day at yy , fully accoutred a The Sult n went down to the Maidan , said the afternoon

off Raid ani eh n prayers , then rode to yy and remai ed in camp

m n s there , for the first ti e si ce his acces ion .

1 0 6 THE OTTOMAN CONQUEST OF EG YPT

When the Sultan left the citadel he took with him Kii sim

‘ ’ Bey , one of Ibn Othman s sons , the boy of whom mention

ul has been made . The S tan had given him a special outfit and ornaments , and ordered him to go with the troops , and to stand , when in action , under the Royal Standard . It was ‘ said that Ibn Othman was uneasy about this boy, and that the maj ority of his soldiers were favourably inclined towards i him , and said that if Sel m Shah were defeated they had no ’ one but their master s son to succeed him . The same day there was a report that the Ruler of Rhodes

u had sent the Sultan a thousand musketeers , and a n mber of ships containing powder that these ships had entered the port of Damietta and that they were sent by the Ruler of ‘ Rhodes to help the Sultan of Egypt against Ibn Othman , it who had designs upon Egypt . But nothing came of this was mere idle rumour without foundation . When the Sultan went out to Raid aniyy eh it was said that

‘ ’ he would proceed to Salih iyy eh to meet Ibn Othman s 93 i l [ ] forces , but the Am rs prevented his going , te ling him that fighting would only take place between them at i Raid an yyeh . The merchants began to transfer their goods from the shops in the market into secret places for safe keeping , but none of their goods escaped . On that day most people removed from the suburbs and went into Cairo , and lived there . The well - to - do people moved their belongings to the

- monasteries , schools , and burial grounds , and to the houses of the common folk in the grazing grounds for safe keeping but none of their property escaped , as will be seen later . At the end of this year Shihabi Ah med Ibn al - Ami r A snb agha ai —Tayyari died ; he was formerly Chief of the

Guards , and belonged to a family of chiefs . He was a venerable and excellent chief ; he was nearly 90 when he died , and one of the oldest inhabitants of the land . ‘ 22nd On Thursday, the , news came that Ibn Othman TH E O 'l ‘ TO M A N CONQUEST o r EG YPT 1 0 7

had left Gaza , and that his advanced guard had reached

‘ Ar i sh . It was reported that the Sultan had ordered a trench to be dug from the fountain of ‘ Allan up to Jebel

Ma ari e h Ahmer (red mountain) and beyond the fields of t yy ,

s and he then erected large shields along that trench , the gun were dr awn up and arranged round them and the wood en

carriages , already mentioned as having been made at the

l i al - i citadel . Then the Su tan ordered Am r Mamay Sagh r , the

Inspector of Markets , to issue a proclamation to the shop

and i i keepers , chandlers , bakers , butchers in Ca ro to br ng their ‘ al - goods to the camp at the tomb of Adil , and establish a Vé li market there for the troops . The S ultan instructed the to proclaim that all the soldiers who had remained behind

- fl should go out to Raid aniyy eh . So the torch bearers ( ) gave it out in the quarters and streets that the Royal Memlooks were

u to go out to the camp that day , under penalty of being h ng

forthwith at their own doors . The Sultan caused this to be m proclai ed twice on that day , for he learnt that many of the Royal Memloo ks used to go out early in the morning

to the camp , so that the Sultan might see them) and return

to spend the night in their houses , and this displeased the

Sultan , and he ordered them to spend every night in camp . ' ‘ ’ 23rd ' On Friday , the , news came that Ibn Othman s

v i ad ance guard had reached Kat ya , which greatly disturbed 4 . 2 th the people On Saturday , the , the Sultan inspected

the troops in camp , and the whole body of them paraded . The Sultan promised them that if they fought bravely against

‘ ’ Ibn Othman s army and defeated them he w o uld pay them

ash rafi s ten each , and give each of them a sword and shield . i f He ordered Am r Ans Bai , Master of the Horse , to ef ect a reconciliation between the roughs of al - Sali bah and the

roughs of the town . It was reported on that day that the

. S ultan set to work to construct a wall to protect the guns

Raid ani eh which he had posted at yy , and that the Sultan

carried some of the stones himself with the workmen . When the soldiers saw that the Sulta n was carrying stones himself 1 0 8 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST OF EGYPT

Me ml ook s the the set to work to do same , and to help the workmen to excavate the ditch and make the wall for the protection of the guns . Then the news arrived that Ibn ‘ Othman ’ s troops had 94 [ ] reached Belbeis . ‘ 25th al - mi Kansfih al - A d il i On Sunday, the , A r , the

Sh a eh im r i . h Inspector of the k , returned The Sultan had sent

‘ ’ to find out information about Ibn Othman s forces when they

é li i i Kans had arrived near S h yy eh . When the Am r fih reached ‘ ’ Sei lihiyyeh he saw that a party of Ibn Othman s men were there . He captured two of them , decapitated them , and brought their heads before the Sultan . With them was a man n from Aleppo , belongi g to Khair Bey, the Governor , who had ‘ - intrigued against the Sultan al Gh firi and j oined Ibn Othman .

This man gave the following information to the Sultan ,

Tfiman Bal

Khair Bey , Governor of Aleppo , is coming against you with Ibn Suwar and a number of Ibn ‘ Othman ’ s Amirs and an advanced guard of of his cavalry . But their horses are exhausted with fatigue and hunger , and food is On scarce among the troops . this man were found a number of letters from Khair Bey , Governor of Aleppo , to i in the chief Am rs Egypt . So the Sultan took the letters and put the man in irons . ‘ ’ It was reported that the commander of Ibn Othman s n n force , on enteri g i to Belbeis , proclaimed pardon and security , promising that none of the inhabitants , nor the

- i ill a r . fellah n , should be tre ted by the Tu kish soldiers Next ‘ ’ ‘ came the news that Ibn Othman s troops were at Ikrish ah . On learning this the Sultan was anxious to go out with the troops and engage them then and there , but he was prevented i l by the Am rs . It wou d have been for the best had he done so,

and u as their horses were at a standstill from fatigue h nger , ‘ ’ and most of Ibn Othman s force h ad marched on foot from the time they left Syria and were extremely tired . The Sultan woul d probably have been able to defeat them before

1 1 0 TH E OTTOMA N CONQUEST o r EG Y PT and the blanket being drawn o ff a Turcoman woman was revealed . The Sultan , suspecting she had come to murder him , ordered her to be taken out . They then found that the woman was wearing a coat of mail under her clothes , and was

M ml s i . e ook carry ng a large dagger The imported , seeing this , struck at her with their swords . They felt sure she had meant

ll e to murder the Sultan . After she had been ki ed th Sultan

al - N ordered her to be suspended on the Bab asr . ’ Then the Sultan sent two heads by the Vali s Daw ad ar ;

i al - Samar and i one was thought to be that of Ibrah m k , and ‘ ’ i the other that of one of Ibn Othman s Am rs . Both we re

i - fastened up over a shop by the Zaw lah gate . One of the Arabs had plotted against Ibrahi m Samarkand i

Samar and i he had entertained him , and k spent the night with h im ‘ ’ ; he had come with Ibn Othman s forces . During the

o ff night the Bedouin cut his head , and at daybreak took it a a to the Sultan , T man Bai , and sked him what he would give

’ to the person who would bring him Ibrahim Samark and i s ”

i . head . The Sultan said A thousand d nars He then d pro uced the head from under his cloak , saying , Here it i is . After having this verif ed , the Sultan paid him the thousand dinars .

r l - Ibrahi m Sam a k and i came originally from a Medinah .

He travelled from Persia to Turkey , and was acquainted with the Turkish language . He went into Egypt and became ’ ’ ’ - one of the Sultan s al Gh ari personal friends . On the latter s i i ‘ defeat he j o ned Sel m Shah Ibn Othman , and became one of his suite . It was said that it was he who suggested to Ibn

‘ Othmari that he should enter Egypt and take possession of it

Samark and i [96] and exterminate the Circassians . was a great l ‘ tyrant , and had he ived to see Ibn Othman in possession of Egypt the people would never have received any good from him i , and he himself brought all sorts of charges aga nst the

‘ r f di gnita ies o Egypt . But Allah gave the people relief from his ev il ways . 28th ‘ t ’ On Wednesday , the , news arrived that Ibn O hman s TH E OTTOMA N CO N QUEST o r EG Y PT 1 1 1

al - advanced guard was at Birkah Haj , which put the military in Cairo into a state of great consternation . They closed the ‘ al - a al - al - Sha ri eh Bab Fut h and Bab . Nasr , and the Bab yy ,

al - l i al - Kantarah also the Bab Ba r and the Bab , and other gates of the town . The markets in Cairo were closed , the mills were stopped , and bread and flour became scarce . As soon as the Sultan had confirmation of the reports that

‘ ’ al - Ibn Othman s army had arrived at Birkah Haj , he sounded Al l i the alarm in camp . the troops and chief Am rs and the ‘ i ablkhanah Am rs of T and of Tens , and Kasim Bey Ibn Othman n mounted . The total of the assembled forces , i cluding the

Meml ook s Royal and Arabs , amounted to some horse

d fifes men , with about thirty standards . The rums and a a sounded to battle , and the Sultan T m n Bai rode round , i i t personally posted the Am rs accord ng o their ranks , and drew up his forces from Jebel Ahmer to the fields of Matariyyeh .

An 1 mmense l force was assembled , and the Su tan displayed a ' lofty courage ( Had the Sultan al Gh firi been alive he would a not have done a fraction of what Sultan Tum n Bai did . But

‘ 0 Allah did not grant him the victory over Ibn Othman . N n battle took place that day between the opposi g forces , neither of them went out to meet the adversary . On that day ’ a few Tur ks heads were cut off and sent to be suspended on the gates of the city . 29th On Thursday , the , a tremendous engagement took place , the mere mention of which is enough to strike terror into the h i hearts of men and its horrors to un nge their reason .

sum ai To up , it may be said that the Sultan T nan Bai , . Ra id ani eh after encamping at yy , fortified it with cannons l and guns , arranged a ine of shields and wooden defences for

r Matari eh them , and dug a trench f om Jebel Ahmer to the yy

fields . In rear of the guns he placed about a thousand camel

-s loads of sacks of forage , and on the pack addles he fastened in white and red banners , which fluttered the breeze . He also

u collected a n mber of oxen to draw the vehicles . He expected ‘ a long battle between himself and Ibn Othman , or even a long 1 1 2 TH E OTTOMA N CONQUEST OF EGYPT

ff siege ; matters , however , turned out di erently . Ibn ‘ ’ al - Othman s forces halted two days at Birkah Haj , but the Sultan T aman Bai did not venture to advance against them he ought to have done so , and given them battle there,

Raid ani before they could get into yyeh . On Thursday Ibn

‘ ’ Othman s force came on , and his advanced guard reached h Jebel A mer .

On learning this the Sultan sounded the alarm in camp , and

‘ ’ ordered the troop s to move out to engage Ibn Othman s m i army . The dru s beat to battle , the chief Am rs and the whole 9 . 7 force mounted , and extended across the plain [ ] Ibn ‘ Othman ’ s soldiers came on like locusts in multitude and they were superior in point of numbers . The two armies met in

Raid ani eh the outskirts of yy , and a terrible battle ensued , which it would take long to describe , a greater battle than that which took place in Merj Dabek . Countless numbers of the ‘ ’ Turks were killed , including Sinan Pasha , Ibn Othman s i former tutor and his Chief Viz r , and a great many of his i ‘ ’ Am rs . Their bodies lay scattered from Allan s fountain

i k Daw ad ar Ye shb e . to the tomb of Am r , the Then the Turks recovered , coming up from every direction like clouds . They divided into two forces , one advancing under Jebel Ahmer , and

Rai ani d eh . f the other by the camp at yy 0 The noise o their musketry was deafening , and their attack furious . In a short time countless numbers of Egyptian troops had fallen , i including a great many of the chief Am rs , among whom was

a a Daw ad ar Ez b ek . , the Gunner Atabek S d n , the , was seriously wounded , some say that his thigh was broken and ‘ i Daw ad ar that he hid in a field there . Am r Allan , the , was also wounded . In the short space of about sixty minutes the

Egyptian army was defeated and in full retreat . Taman Bai stood his ground about eighty minutes after this , and fought on with a few of his armed slaves and ‘ ’

M eml ook s . , inflicting great losses on Ibn Othman s men i him F nally, when the Turks were too many for , finding him self deserted by his troops , and fearing capture , he folded up

1 1 4 THE OTTOMA N CONQUEST O F EG YPT

‘ ’ i Sinan Pasha , Ibn Othman s Viz r , was also killed . Sheikh B ed r al - Di n al - Zeitfini wrote this lament We weep over Egypt and her people

Her prosperous places have become desolate , and The once glorious h as become the inglorious

’ las th e t . 922 . i On Monday , week of the year A H , the Am r ‘ t e al —Mutew e kkil of h Faithful , Mohammed ala Allah , entered ‘ ’ Ibn Cairo , accompanied by Othman s ministers , and a large

' force of Turkish soldiers . The following also returned

’ 1 ai - ( ) Malik Umara Khair Bey .

‘ 2 al - Din al i Shafi i ( ) Kemal Chief Kad of the Sect .

i i l - D l - (3) The Malik Kad Muhyi a in a Demiri .

4 anb ali i al - al - Fut ii l ni ( ) The H Kad Shihab Din . All these had been prisoners of Ibn ‘ Othman since the

- death of the Sultan al Gh firi .

i th e al - The Khal fah entered by Bab Nasr , and traversed

- Cairo , preceded by torch bearers . He a nnounced a public pardon , and general security and continuance of trade . No one was to be molested by the Turkish soldiers . It was further proclaimed that the door of oppression was closed and that of j ustice opened , and that whoever was found harbouring ml a Circassian Me ook would be hung forthwith . The cry Long live the victorious King Selim Shah was raised on all sides .

These proclamations were , however , disregarded by the ’ Turks, who fell to plundering people s houses and even the suburban villas under the pretext of searching for Circassian

M ml k s T is il in e oo . h la , p g g and attacking the houses of the

i . N Am rs , soldiers , and people continued for three days ot

e a hors nor mule , nor clothing , nor anything great or small was left untouched . ‘ Yfinu s al - Ad ili Kh ush ad am About that time returned , and k , who had been Inspector of Granaries in Egypt and had fled

al - Gh firi from to the Turkish dominions , and had instigated this great rebellion . TH E OTTOM A N CONQUEST o r EG YPT 1 1 5

On Friday the Khutbah was deli vered in the name of i Sultan Sel m Shah from the pulpits in Egypt and Cairo . Some of the preachers in thei r addresses referred to him as foll ows

ai - u God save the Sultan , Ibn S ltan , King of the two

continents and the two seas ; conqueror of the two armies ,

‘ Sultan of the two Iraks , servant of the two sacred cities , the i victorious King Sel m Shah . O Lord of both worlds , grant

that he may ever be victorious . This brings to a close our account of the events of the

22 . year A . H . 9 The year ends with war and sorrow— the people are in the A ll direst extremities . this has come upon them in accordance

with the decree of Fate . 99 923 [ ] Then commenced the year A . H . , the first day of

Muharrem being a Saturday . To - day the Sultan Selim Shah sent a body of Janissaries and posted them at the gates of the city to prevent the houses being plundered . After the defeat of the Egyptian army the Sultan Seli m Shah moved his camp from Birkah al - Haj

Raid ani yyeh . The Turks set to work to catch the Circassian

Me mlook s , taking them from the tombs and cemeteries and

Matari eh from the gardens of yy , and bringing them before l the Su tan, who ordered them to be decapitated . Some Arab Sheikhs arrested Atabek Sfid fin Daw ad ari and brought him before the Sultan Seli m Shah . The latter abused him , and though he found that he was wounded and had in a broken thigh , and was a dying condition , he had no pity on him , but mounted him on a donkey , with a blue turban in a on his head , and publicly exposed him his c mp . He even intended to exhibit him in Cairo ; but he died on the back of the donkey . It was said that they cut off his head after his death and hung it up in the camp . And so this slaughter of the Circassians continued ; it was said that over four hundred Circassian slaves and Arabs from the Sh ark ieh and Gh arb i eh provinces were slain . ‘ Then Ibn Othman sent for His Highness Muhammed , son T H E OTTOMAN CONQUEST O F EG YPT

al - Gh ari of the Sultan , and dressed him in a green velvet and

‘ - gold embroidered kaftan , and an Osmanli turban , and gave him a paper guaranteeing his safety , and issued instructions for him to reside in the college which his father had built at

arab is i Sh h yin.

i a al - i i u Then Am r Y suf Badr , the Viz r , went to the S ltan ,

e rec ived a pardon , was dressed in a velvet kaftan , and

ar i appointed Superintendent to the Gh b eh provinces . The Sultan conferred robes of honour on

1 m i i Tamraz . A r Faris Seyf , and appointed him Inspector of Minieh and other places in the North .

Al — i B r ka 2 . e e t Li Zein Ibn M sa , and appointed him Inspector of Markets , empowering him to make what appointments he fit should think . find i On Sunday , the , it was reported that the Sultan Sel m

a Raid ani eh a Sh h had moved his camp from yy to B lak , where it occupied the ground from the embankment to the end of the central island , and that the keys of the citadel were brought r there but he prefer ed to reside on the bank of the Nile . As soon as a great many Turks had assembled in Cairo they ' began to reconnoitre the quarters , streets , and markets , and whenever they met people wearing red caps and small turbans ” they said to them , You are Circassians , and beheaded

i s them . So the people and even the Am r and royal princes took to wearing large turbans . and so the light turbans and caps were abolished in Egypt .

3rd On Monday , the , the Sultan formed a cavalcade and

Bab al - entered Cairo by the Nasr , and went through the city , preceded by an immense number of led horses and a large n force of i fantry and cavalry, which occupied the whole of the streets the procession went through the Zawilah Gate ‘ a under the Rab , and on to B lak , to the camp under the embankment . As the Sultan passed through the city he was cheered by all the populace . n l He was described as havi g a fair complexion , a c ean shaven chin , and large nose and eyes, as being short in stature ,