Mamluk Studies Review Vol. IX, No. 1 (2005)
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The Conquest of Arsuf by Baybars: Political and Military Aspects (MSR IX.1, 2005)
REUVEN AMITAI THE HEBREW UNIVERSITY OF JERUSALEM The Conquest of Arsu≠f by Baybars: Political and Military Aspects* A modern-day visitor to Arsu≠f1 cannot help but be struck by the neatly arranged piles of stones from siege machines found at the site. This ordering, of course, represents the labors of contemporary archeologists and their assistants to gather the numerous but scattered stones. Yet, in spite of the recent nature of this "installation," these heaps are clear, if mute, evidence of the great efforts of the Mamluks led by Sultan Baybars (1260–77) to conquer the fortified city from the Franks in 1265. This conquest, as well as its political background and its aftermath, will be the subjects of the present article, which can also be seen as a case-study of Mamluk siege warfare. The immediate backdrop to the Mamluk attack against Arsu≠f was the events of the preceding weeks. At the end of 1264, while Baybars was hunting in the Egyptian countryside, he received reports that the Mongols were heading in force for the Mamluk border fortress of al-B|rah along the Euphrates, today in south- eastern Turkey. The sultan quickly returned to Cairo, and ordered the immediate dispatch of advanced light forces, which were followed by a more organized, but still relatively small, force under the command of the senior amir (officer) Ughan Samm al-Mawt ("the Elixir of Death"), and then by a third corps, together with © Middle East Documentation Center. The University of Chicago. *I would like to thank Prof. Israel Roll of Tel Aviv University, who conducted the excavations at the site, and was most helpful when he showed us the site. -
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-six Religion and Religiosity after the Crusades The First Crusade was a great turning-point for western Christendom. An obvious consequence of the First Crusade was that many Catholics became aware that their lot in this earthly life left much to be desired: in Orthodox Christendom and in the Dar al-Islam people were better off than they were in Catholic Europe. This recognition led to material and economic improvements in western Europe and to a new kind of education, which in turn was followed by humanism and the Renaissance. By 1500 western Europe was a very different place than it had been four hundred years earlier, and considerably closer to modernity. This secular improvement will be the subject of the next chapter, but in this chapter we must take a close look at the religious upheaval with which it began. Militancy against Muslims was paralleled at home by a heightened religiosity. Ordinary Christians, who had long assumed that they would reach Heaven by following the lead of the Church and its clerical hierarchy, began taking upon themselves the responsibility for their souls‟ salvation. Thousands of Christians enlisted in new and demanding monastic orders, and thousands more left the Catholic church to join communities of devout but renegade Christians. Another aspect of the Christians‟ new religiosity was violence against the small Jewish communities in their midst, which until then had enjoyed relative security. Judaism was also infused with a new religious enthusiasm, as the mystical texts known as the Kabbalah made their appearance and quickly took their place alongside the Tanakh and the Talmud. -
BASRA : ITS HISTORY, CULTURE and HERITAGE Basra Its History, Culture and Heritage
BASRA : ITS HISTORY, CULTURE AND HERITAGE CULTURE : ITS HISTORY, BASRA ITS HISTORY, CULTURE AND HERITAGE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF THE BASRAH MUSEUM, SEPTEMBER 28–29, 2016 Edited by Paul Collins Edited by Paul Collins BASRA ITS HISTORY, CULTURE AND HERITAGE PROCEEDINGS OF THE CONFERENCE CELEBRATING THE OPENING OF THE BASRAH MUSEUM, SEPTEMBER 28–29, 2016 Edited by Paul Collins © BRITISH INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF IRAQ 2019 ISBN 978-0-903472-36-4 Typeset and printed in the United Kingdom by Henry Ling Limited, at the Dorset Press, Dorchester, DT1 1HD CONTENTS Figures...................................................................................................................................v Contributors ........................................................................................................................vii Introduction ELEANOR ROBSON .......................................................................................................1 The Mesopotamian Marshlands (Al-Ahwār) in the Past and Today FRANCO D’AGOSTINO AND LICIA ROMANO ...................................................................7 From Basra to Cambridge and Back NAWRAST SABAH AND KELCY DAVENPORT ..................................................................13 A Reserve of Freedom: Remarks on the Time Visualisation for the Historical Maps ALEXEI JANKOWSKI ...................................................................................................19 The Pallakottas Canal, the Sealand, and Alexander STEPHANIE -
Encyclopaedism in the Mamluk Period: the Composition of Shihāb Al-Dīn Al-Nuwayrī’S (D
Encyclopaedism in the Mamluk Period: The Composition of Shihāb al-Dīn al-Nuwayrī’s (D. 1333) Nihāyat al-Arab fī Funūn al-Adab The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Muhanna, Elias Ibrahim. 2012. Encyclopaedism in the Mamluk Period: The Composition of Shihāb al-Dīn al-Nuwayrī’s (D. 1333) Nihāyat al-Arab fī Funūn al-Adab. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:9366551 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA © 2012 Elias Muhanna All rights reserved. Advisor: Professor Wolfhart P. Heinrichs Elias Muhanna Encyclopaedism in the Mamluk Period: The Composition of Shihāb al-Dīn al-Nuwayrī’s (d. 1333) Nihāyat al-arab fī funūn al-adab Abstract This dissertation explores the emergence of a golden age of Arabic encyclopaedic literature in the scholarly centers of Egypt and Syria during the Mamluk Empire (1250-1517). At the heart of the project is a study of Shihāb al-Dīn Aḥmad b. ʿAbd al-Wahhāb al-Nuwayrī’s (d. 1333) Nihāyat al-arab fī funūn al-adab (‘The Ultimate Ambition in the Branches of Erudition’), a 31-volume encyclopaedic work composed at the beginning of the 14th century and divided into five parts: (i) heaven and earth; (ii) the human being; (iii) animals; (iv) plants; and (v) the history of the world. -
The Tribal Territory of the Kurds Through Arabic Medieval Historiography Boris James
The tribal territory of the Kurds through Arabic medieval historiography Boris James To cite this version: Boris James. The tribal territory of the Kurds through Arabic medieval historiography: Spatial Dynamics, Territorial Categories, and Khaldunian Paradigm. Middle East Studies Association (North America) GatheringPanel : “ Before Nationalism : Land and Loyalty in the Middle East ”, Nov 2007, Montreal, Canada. halshs-00350118 HAL Id: halshs-00350118 https://halshs.archives-ouvertes.fr/halshs-00350118 Submitted on 5 Jan 2009 HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est archive for the deposit and dissemination of sci- destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents entific research documents, whether they are pub- scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, lished or not. The documents may come from émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de teaching and research institutions in France or recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires abroad, or from public or private research centers. publics ou privés. MESA 2007 Panel :Before Nationalism: Land and Loyalty in the Middle East The tribal territory of the Kurds through Arabic medieval historiography: spatial dynamics, territorial categories, and Khaldunian paradigm Boris James (IFPO/ University of Paris 10) In the 14th century an egyptian author, al-Maqrîzî writes : « You should know that nobody agrees on the definition of the Kurds. The ‘Ajam for instance indicate that the Kurds were the favourite food of the king Bayûrasf. He was ordering everyday that two human beings be sacrificed for him so he could consume their flesh. His Vizir Arma’il was sacrificing one and sparing the other who was sent to the mountains of Fârs. -
Introduction
Introduction The City of a Thousand Minarets began as a source document I wrote for a video game company that was dabbling with the idea of a MMORPG set in a 1930s Pulp setting. The first environment they were going to roll out was their Pulp Cairo setting. So I set about collecting as much "stranger than fiction" details about the city, trying to demonstrate that historical Cairo was more exotic and beautiful than any Arabian Nights fantasy. Part of the project was to include a good deal of information about how Cairo has been portrayed in media so that level designers could weave their way between the expected Cairo of "orientalist" fantasy, and the surprising Cairo of real history. And of course, at the time I was already a huge Hollow Earth Expedition fan. Ever since Raiders of the Lost Ark came out, I had been looking for a role-playing game to recreate the heroic action of the Pulp Genre and always being disappointed. It wasn't until I read the Ubiquity System that I found the mechanics I'd always been looking for. Streamlined. Fast. Fun. The perfect system for punching Nazis off of zeppelins into dinosaurs! That was over a decade ago. The computer game company moved on to other projects and my document sat gathering dust until I picked up Black Campbell Entertainment's The Queen of the Orient and The Sublime Port. Then I realized that I had something to offer my fellow fans of Hollow Earth Expedition. I hope you all fall in love with Cairo as much as I have. -
The Role of Tribalism and Sectarianism in Defining the Iraqi National Identity
The Role of Tribalism and Sectarianism in Defining the Iraqi National Identity The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Abdallat, Saleh Ayman. 2020. The Role of Tribalism and Sectarianism in Defining the Iraqi National Identity. Master's thesis, Harvard Extension School. Citable link https://nrs.harvard.edu/URN-3:HUL.INSTREPOS:37365053 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA The Role of Tribalism and Sectarianism in Defining the Iraqi National Identity Saleh Ayman Abdallat A Thesis in the Field of Middle Eastern Studies for the Degree of Master of Liberal Arts in Extension Studies Harvard University May 2020 Copyright 2020 Saleh Ayman Abdallat Abstract In this thesis, I examine the roots that aggravated the Iraqi national identity to devolve into sectarianism. The thesis covers 603 years of historical events that coincided during the time the Ottoman ruled Mesopotamia, until the U.S. invaded Iraq in 2003. The thesis is divided into four chapters, in which I address the factors that aggravated to deteriorate the Iraqi national unity. The historical events include the Ottoman-Persian rivalry that lasted for more than three centuries, and the outcomes that precipitated the Iraqi national identity to devolve into sectarianism. Furthermore, the thesis covers the modern history of Iraq during the period that Britain invaded Iraq and appointed the Hashemite to act on their behalf. -
Iraq Tribal Study – Al-Anbar Governorate: the Albu Fahd Tribe
Iraq Tribal Study AL-ANBAR GOVERNORATE ALBU FAHD TRIBE ALBU MAHAL TRIBE ALBU ISSA TRIBE GLOBAL GLOBAL RESOURCES RISK GROUP This Page Intentionally Left Blank Iraq Tribal Study Iraq Tribal Study – Al-Anbar Governorate: The Albu Fahd Tribe, The Albu Mahal Tribe and the Albu Issa Tribe Study Director and Primary Researcher: Lin Todd Contributing Researchers: W. Patrick Lang, Jr., Colonel, US Army (Retired) R. Alan King Andrea V. Jackson Montgomery McFate, PhD Ahmed S. Hashim, PhD Jeremy S. Harrington Research and Writing Completed: June 18, 2006 Study Conducted Under Contract with the Department of Defense. i Iraq Tribal Study This Page Intentionally Left Blank ii Iraq Tribal Study Table of Contents TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY CHAPTER ONE. Introduction 1-1 CHAPTER TWO. Common Historical Characteristics and Aspects of the Tribes of Iraq and al-Anbar Governorate 2-1 • Key Characteristics of Sunni Arab Identity 2-3 • Arab Ethnicity 2-3 – The Impact of the Arabic Language 2-4 – Arabism 2-5 – Authority in Contemporary Iraq 2-8 • Islam 2-9 – Islam and the State 2-9 – Role of Islam in Politics 2-10 – Islam and Legitimacy 2-11 – Sunni Islam 2-12 – Sunni Islam Madhabs (Schools of Law) 2-13 – Hanafi School 2-13 – Maliki School 2-14 – Shafii School 2-15 – Hanbali School 2-15 – Sunni Islam in Iraq 2-16 – Extremist Forms of Sunni Islam 2-17 – Wahhabism 2-17 – Salafism 2-19 – Takfirism 2-22 – Sunni and Shia Differences 2-23 – Islam and Arabism 2-24 – Role of Islam in Government and Politics in Iraq 2-25 – Women in Islam 2-26 – Piety 2-29 – Fatalism 2-31 – Social Justice 2-31 – Quranic Treatment of Warfare vs. -
Chapter 11- Turks and Mongols
Chapter 11: TURKS AND MONGOLS THE SULTANATE STATES By 1250, the eighth crusade organized by the king of France Louis IX was trying to wrestle territory to the Ayyubids when the sultan in charge died. In order to keep cohesion within the troops, the sultan’s wife Shajar al-Dhurr kept his death secret till his son Turan Shah returned from Mesopotamia, then defeated the Crusaders. The Mamluk military leader called Baybars turned on Turan Shah, killed him and declared Shajar al- Durr as the new sultan. This would be the only time that a woman was at the head of an Islamic dynasty. She would survive for a couple of years but had to step down due to overwhelming opposition. The Mongol khans of Iran (the Il-khans) were subordinate to the Great Khan of Mongolia. In 1259, Hulagi conquered Armenia, Upper Meopotamia and parts of Syria. But in 1260, he was defeated by the Mamluk army led by Baybars at Ayn Jalut (the Spring of Goliath) in Palestine. The Mamluks reoccupied Syria thereby stopping the Mongol advance. Baybars became the sultan of the new Mamluk dynasty of Egypt. Baybars brought a fleeing member of the Abbasid dynasty to Cairo which started a line of symbolic “shadow” khalifs. This will start another period of decentralized power of small regional sultanate states throughout the region; the Mamluks, the Seljuks, the Timurids, and the early Ottomans are examples of such regional powers. The rise of the Fatimids in the western part of the Middle East and of the Seljuks in the eastern part created a borderline between Syria and Iraq. -
The Rank and Status of Military Refugees in the Mamluk Army: a Reconsideration of the Wa≠Fid|Yah
NAKAMACHI NOBUTAKA WASEDA UNIVERSITY The Rank and Status of Military Refugees in the Mamluk Army: A Reconsideration of the Wa≠fid|yah The existence of military refugees from Mongol territory during the Bahri Mamluk period was of great importance for the history of the Mamluk Sultanate politically, diplomatically, and culturally. David Ayalon studied this group over fifty years ago in his article "The Wafidiya in the Mamluk Kingdom"1 and his theory has been widely accepted, together with his term wa≠fid|yah, an Arabic "collective formation from wa≠fid 'one who comes, makes his way, in a delegation or group.'" 2 In his study, he criticizes A. N. Poliak, who stated that the wa≠fid|yah enjoyed high positions in the Mamluk army because of the vassal character of the Mamluks' relationship to the Golden Horde.3 Rather, Ayalon claims, the wa≠fid|yah were constantly discriminated against in the Mamluk military system throughout the Mamluk period because they were not mamluks, i.e., of slave origin. In the view of the present author, however, his study is too narrow. First, he connects the arrival of the wa≠fid|yah only to the political situation inside the Mamluk Sultanate, and neglects the situation outside it. For example, he characterizes al-Z˛a≠hir Baybars and al-‘Adil± Kitbugha,≠ the two sultans who received the largest and second largest number of Mongol immigrants, according to his counting, as "an admirer of the Mongol regime" and "a member of that ethnic group" respectively, as if these factors caused these immigrations. The wa≠fid|yah's influx, however, must not have had much to do with the reigning sultans; rather, it was caused by internal factors within the Ilkhanid state. -
Breaching the Bronze Wall: Franks at Mamluk And
Breaching the Bronze Wall Mediterranean Reconfigurations Intercultural Trade, Commercial Litigation, and Legal Pluralism Series Editors Wolfgang Kaiser (Université Paris i, Panthéon- Sorbonne) Guillaume Calafat (Université Paris i, Panthéon- Sorbonne) volume 2 The titles published in this series are listed at brill.com/cmed Breaching the Bronze Wall Franks at Mamluk and Ottoman Courts and Markets By Francisco Apellániz LEIDEN | BOSTON The publication of this book has been funded by the European Research Council (ERC) [Advanced Grant n° 295868 “Mediterranean Reconfigurations: Intercultural Trade, Commercial Litigation, and Legal Pluralism in historical perspective”] This is an open access title distributed under the terms of the CC BY-NC 4.0 license, which permits any non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited. Further information and the complete license text can be found at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ The terms of the CC license apply only to the original material. The use of material from other sources (indicated by a reference) such as diagrams, illustrations, photos and text samples may require further permission from the respective copyright holder. Cover illustration: Vittore Carpaccio, Group of Soldiers and Men in Oriental Costume, Tempera on wood, 68 × 42 cm, Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Apellániz Ruiz de Galarreta, Francisco Javier, 1974- author. Title: Breaching the bronze wall : Franks at Mamluk and Ottoman courts and markets / Francisco Apellániz. Description: Boston ; Leiden : Brill, 2020. | Series: Mediterranean reconfigurations, intercultural trade, commercial litigation, and legal pluralism, 2494-8772 ; volume 2 | Includes bibliographical references and index. -
"Licit Magic": the Touch and Sight of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls
"Licit Magic": The Touch And Sight Of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls The Harvard community has made this article openly available. Please share how this access benefits you. Your story matters Citation Alsaleh, Yasmine F. 2014. "Licit Magic": The Touch And Sight Of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls. Doctoral dissertation, Harvard University. Citable link http://nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:12274637 Terms of Use This article was downloaded from Harvard University’s DASH repository, and is made available under the terms and conditions applicable to Other Posted Material, as set forth at http:// nrs.harvard.edu/urn-3:HUL.InstRepos:dash.current.terms-of- use#LAA “Licit Magic”: The Touch And Sight Of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls A dissertation presented by Yasmine F. Al-Saleh to The Committee for Middle Eastern Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of History of Art and Architecture and Middle Eastern Studies Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts February 2014 © 2014 Yasmine F. Al-Saleh All rights reserved Dissertation Advisor: Yasmine F. Al-Saleh Professor David J. Roxburgh Professor Gülru Necipoğlu-Kafadar “Licit Magic”: The Touch And Sight Of Islamic Talismanic Scrolls Abstract The following study traces the production and history of the talismanic scroll as a medium through a Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk historical periods. My dissertation understands the protocol of manufacturing and utilizing talismanic scrolls. The dissertation is a study of the Qur’an, prayers and illustrations of these talismanic works. I begin by investigating a theory of the occult the medieval primary sources of the Neo-platonic tenth century Ikhwān al-Ṣafāʾ and al-Bunī (d.1225).