The Mamluks | Everyday Life in the Mamluk Sultanate

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

The Mamluks | Everyday life in the Mamluk Sultanate ‘Contemporary society was astonishingly heterogeneous ethnically, religiously and even linguistically.’ In the hierarchy of society within the Mamluk sultanate, the Mamluks themselves formed the elite who lived quite separately from the urban and rural populations. Contemporary society was astonishingly heterogeneous ethnically, religiously and even linguistically. In addition to the Mamluks, themselves of foreign, largely Turkish or Caucasian origin, Egypt accommodated significant communities of indigenous Egyptians and Arabs, Armenians, Syrians and Greeks. Sadly, comparatively little is known about the ordinary people of the Mamluk Empire, as the historical sources of the period tend to concentrate on the achievements of Mamluk sultans and their elite. Name: Comb Dynasty: Hegira 8th century / AD 14th century Mamluk Details: Museum of Islamic Art Cairo, Egypt Justification: Everyday items like this comb give small glimpses into the daily lives of ordinary people. Name: Kohl Container Dynasty: Hegira 8th–9th century / AD 14th–15th century Mamluk Details: Museum of Islamic Art Cairo, Egypt Justification: A container used to hold kohl, a cosmetic used to accentuate the eyes, the use of which was common for both men and women of the period. Name: Lunch box Dynasty: Hegira 9th / AD 15th century Mamluk Details: The British Museum London, England, United Kingdom Justification: Complete meals could be conveyed in these food containers. They were lockable to prevent anyone poisoning the contents. Name: Bottle or perfume sprinkler Dynasty: Hegira 7th century / AD 13th century Mamluk Details: Jordan Archaeological Museum Amman, Jordan Justification: Perfume and incense were integral to a Muslim's personal hygiene, and in addition were used to fragrance the interiors of mosques and palaces. Name: Bottle Dynasty: Hegira mid-8th century / AD mid-14th century Mamluk Details: Calouste Gulbenkian Museum Lisbon, Portugal Justification: The upper-classes of the Mamluk Empire would have aspired to a lifestyle comparable to that of the Mamluk elite..

Copy Link

Recommended publications

Bilateral Factionalism in Ottoman Egypt
1 Bilateral Factionalism in Ottoman Egypt What makes a faction more than a group, a sect, or a household? In the case of the Faqaris and Qasimis, to say nothing of competing pairs of factions in numerous earlier, later, and contemporaneous societies, the defining characteristics of these factions were that there were only two of them; they opposed each other; and they divided most, if not all, of society between them. Accordingly, their identifying markers— names, colors, symbols—and the rituals in which they participated took on this same bilateral character: they were diametrically opposed, offered clear alternatives to each other, or were glaringly incompat- ible. This chapter illustrates this point by presenting definitive fea- tures of Egypt’s factional political cultural in comparison to similar features in other bilateral factional cultures. Breaking Out of the Mamluk Paradigm Before we undertake this task, however, it is worth asking why the bilateralism of the Faqaris and Qasimis has received so little attention. Our understanding of the origins and functions of these two factions has, I believe, been hampered by the Mamluk historiographical frame- work within which historians of premodern Ottoman Egypt have habitually placed them. I contend that if we are to understand these factions on their own terms and in their own historical and social context, we must adopt a framework that gives due weight to the fact that these two factions utterly polarized Egyptian society, forcing vir- tually every member of the military-administrative population, as well 25 26 A Tale of Two Factions as merchants, artisans, and bedouin tribes, to choose one side or the other side while not allowing for any alternative.
[Show full text]
Timeline / 600 to 1700 / EGYPT
Timeline / 600 to 1700 / EGYPT Date Country | Description 619 A.D. Egypt Egypt, Jerusalem and Damascus come under the rule of the Persian Emperor Xerxes II. 627 A.D. Egypt Prophet Muhammad sends a letter to Cyrus, the Byzantine Patriarch of Alexandria and ruler of Egypt, inviting him to accept Islam. Cyrus sends gifts to the Prophet in answer, together with two sisters from Upper Egypt. The Prophet married one of them, called Maria the Copt. She bore him his only son, who died in boyhood. 639 A.D. Egypt The first mosque in Egypt is built in Bilbis, east of the Delta, to honour the martyrs and 120 companions of the Prophet who died in battle there during the Arab invasion of Egypt. It followed the ground plan of the Prophet's mosque in Medina. 641 A.D. Egypt Babylon (the Roman settlement south of present-day Cairo) capitulates to the Muslim armies led by Amr ibn al-'As.The first Islamic capital of Egypt, Fustat, is founded. 655 A.D. Egypt Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet's cousin and companion, isappointed wali (ruler) of Egypt by ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, the third Righteous Caliph. 750 A.D. Egypt Egypt comes under the control of the Abbasid Caliphate and al-Askar, the second Islamic capital of Egypt, is founded. Marwan ibn Muhammad, the last Umayyad Caliph in the East, is murdered in Abu Seir, Fayyum, west of the Delta. 764 A.D. Egypt A great famine strikes the country due to the low Nile flood, during the rule of Amir Yazid ibn Hakim al-Mahdi, ruler of the Abbasids.
[Show full text]
Indian Trade Cloth in Egypt: the Newberry Collection
University of Nebraska - Lincoln DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings Textile Society of America 1990 Indian Trade Cloth in Egypt: The Newberry Collection Ruth Barnes Ashmolean Museum, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf Part of the Art and Design Commons Barnes, Ruth, "Indian Trade Cloth in Egypt: The Newberry Collection" (1990). Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings. 594. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/tsaconf/594 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Textile Society of America at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It has been accepted for inclusion in Textile Society of America Symposium Proceedings by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. -179- Indian Trade Cloth in Egypt: holdings are vast by comparison: there is a total of 1225 The Newberry Collection block-printed fragments. The size is matched by quality and variation of design; virtually any pattern known in this kind RUTH BARNES of textile is well represented, and there are pieces which are Ashiaolean Museum probably unique.3 However, the collection is not widely known, Oxford and until very recently (May 1990) it could not be used as research material, as the fragments had not been properly The Department of Eastern Art in the Ashmolean Museum, accessioned into the Department's holdings, hence had no Oxford, holds what is undoubtably one of the largest single number or" other means -of identification which made them collections of block-printed textiles produced in India, but available as a reference.
[Show full text]
Land, Property Rights and Institutional Durability in Medieval Egypt
Land, Property Rights and Institutional Durability in Medieval Egypt Lisa Blaydes - Stanford University LSE-Stanford-Universidad de los Andes Conference on Long-Run Development in Latin America, London School of Economics and Political Science, 16-17 May 2018 Land, Property Rights and Institutional Durability in Medieval Egypt Lisa Blaydes∗ Associate Professor Department of Political Science Stanford University April 2018 Abstract Historical institutionalists have long been concerned with the conditions under which political institutions provoke their own processes of internal change. Using data on changing landholding patterns during the Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517 CE), I demon- strate that land shifted from temporary and revocable land grants offered in exchange for service to Islamic religious endowments and hybridized land types, representing a transformation away from state authority over agricultural resources to more priva- tized forms of property control. Predation on collective state resources by individual mamluks | state actors themselves | was a negative externality associated with the foundational principle of the impermissibility of transferring mamluk status to one's sons. My characterization of mamluk political institutions provides an empirical il- lustration of a self-undermining equilibrium with implications for understanding how Middle Eastern political institutions differed from those in other world regions, partic- ularly medieval Europe. ∗Many thanks to Connor Kennedy, Shivonne Logan, Vivan Malkani and Kyle Van Rensselaer for out- standing research assistance. Scott Abramson, Gary Cox, David Laitin, Hans Lueders and Yuki Takagi provided helpful comments and assistance. 1 What explains institutional durability? An influential literature suggests that institu- tional equilibria can be indirectly strengthened or weakened by processes dynamically intro- duced by the institutions themselves (Greif and Laitin 2004).
[Show full text]
Annales Islamologiques
MINISTÈRE DE L'ÉDUCATION NATIONALE, DE L'ENSEIGNEMENT SUPÉRIEUR ET DE LA RECHERCHE ANNALES ISLAMOLOGIQUES en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne en ligne AnIsl 41 (2007), p. 97-118 Anne F. Broadbridge Diplomatic Conventions in the Mamluk Sultanate Conditions d’utilisation L’utilisation du contenu de ce site est limitée à un usage personnel et non commercial. Toute autre utilisation du site et de son contenu est soumise à une autorisation préalable de l’éditeur (contact AT ifao.egnet.net). Le copyright est conservé par l’éditeur (Ifao). Conditions of Use You may use content in this website only for your personal, noncommercial use. Any further use of this website and its content is forbidden, unless you have obtained prior permission from the publisher (contact AT ifao.egnet.net). The copyright is retained by the publisher (Ifao). Dernières publications 9782724708288 BIFAO 121 9782724708424 Bulletin archéologique des Écoles françaises à l'étranger (BAEFE) 9782724707878 Questionner le sphinx Philippe Collombert (éd.), Laurent Coulon (éd.), Ivan Guermeur (éd.), Christophe Thiers (éd.) 9782724708295 Bulletin de liaison de la céramique égyptienne 30 Sylvie Marchand (éd.) 9782724708356 Dendara. La Porte d'Horus Sylvie Cauville 9782724707953 Dendara. La Porte d’Horus Sylvie Cauville 9782724708394 Dendara. La Porte d'Hathor Sylvie Cauville 9782724708011 MIDEO 36 Emmanuel Pisani (éd.), Dennis Halft (éd.) © Institut français d’archéologie orientale - Le Caire Powered by TCPDF (www.tcpdf.org) 1 / 1 Anne F. BroAdBridge Diplomatic Conventions in the Mamluk Sultanate iplomatic conventions are generally understood to mean the protocol and etiquette that govern encounters between the representatives of different states, such as when Dambassadors go to a foreign court to meet with its ruler on behalf of their own.
[Show full text]
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.
[Show full text]
The Aesthetics of Islamic Architecture & the Exuberance of Mamluk Design
The Aesthetics of Islamic Architecture & The Exuberance of Mamluk Design Tarek A. El-Akkad Dipòsit Legal: B. 17657-2013 ADVERTIMENT. La consulta d’aquesta tesi queda condicionada a l’acceptació de les següents condicions d'ús: La difusió d’aquesta tesi per mitjà del servei TDX (www.tesisenxarxa.net) ha estat autoritzada pels titulars dels drets de propietat intel·lectual únicament per a usos privats emmarcats en activitats d’investigació i docència. No s’autoritza la seva reproducció amb finalitats de lucre ni la seva difusió i posada a disposició des d’un lloc aliè al servei TDX. No s’autoritza la presentació del s eu contingut en una finestra o marc aliè a TDX (framing). Aquesta reserva de drets afecta tant al resum de presentació de la tesi com als seus continguts. En la utilització o cita de parts de la tesi és obligat indicar el nom de la persona autora. ADVERTENCIA. La consulta de esta tesis queda condicionada a la aceptación de las siguientes condiciones de uso: La difusión de esta tesis por medio del servicio TDR (www.tesisenred.net) ha sido autorizada por los titulares de los derechos de propiedad intelectual únicamente para usos privados enmarcados en actividades de investigación y docencia. No se autoriza su reproducción con finalidades de lucro ni su difusión y puesta a disposición desde un sitio ajeno al servicio TDR. No se autoriza la presentación de su contenido en una ventana o marco ajeno a TDR (framing). Esta reserva de derechos afecta tanto al resumen de presentación de la tesis como a sus contenidos.
[Show full text]
Staging the City: Or How Mamluk Architecture Coopted the Streets of Cairo
Staging the City: Or How Mamluk Architecture Coopted the Streets of Cairo Gesamttext_UHML_9_Druckfreigabe.indb 1 21.07.2014 21:15:09 Ulrich Haarmann Memorial Lecture ed. Stephan Conermann Volume 9 Gesamttext_UHML_9_Druckfreigabe.indb 2 21.07.2014 21:15:09 Nasser Rabbat Staging the City: Or How Mamluk Architecture Coopted the Streets of Cairo BERLIN EBVERLAG Gesamttext_UHML_9_Druckfreigabe.indb 3 21.07.2014 21:15:10 Bibliogra!sche Information der Deutschen Nationalbibliothek Die Deutsche Nationalbibliothek verzeichnet diese Publikation in der Deutschen Nationalbibliogra!e; detaillierte bibliogra!sche Daten sind im Internet über http://dnb.d-nb.de abrufbar. Alle Rechte vorbehalten. Dieses Buch, einschließlich aller seiner Teile, ist urheberrechtlich geschützt. Vervielfältigungen, Übersetzungen, Mikrover!lmungen sowie die Einspeicherung und Verarbeitung in elektronischen Systemen bedürfen der schriftlichen Genehmigung des Verlags. Rainer Kuhl Copyright ©: EB-Verlag Dr. Brandt Berlin 2014 ISBN: 978-3-86893-153-2 Internet: www.ebverlag.de E-Mail: [email protected] Printed in Germany Gesamttext_UHML_9_Druckfreigabe.indb 4 21.07.2014 21:15:10 Staging the City 5 Staging the City: Or How Mamluk Architecture Coopted the Streets of Cairo In January 1383, Ibn Khaldun arrived in Cairo from Tunis. His reaction to the city, often quoted, captures a feeling that was to engender a staunch nostalgia to his era among subsequent generations of Egyptians. He wrote I beheld the metropolis of the world, orchard of the universe, hive of nations, iwan of Islam, throne of royalty, bursting with palaces and iwans within, shining on the horizon with khanqahs and madrasas, illuminated by the moons and stars of its learned scholars.1 Despite its ornateness, Ibn Khaldun’s passage held true for many of his contemporaries who waxed lyrical about Cairo’s vast expanse, diverse population, and architectural splendor.
[Show full text]
Tall Hisban: an Examination of The
TALL HISBAN: AN EXAMINATION OF THE MAMLUK SUGAR INDUSTRY IN FOURTHEENTHCENTURY TRANSJORDAN By TERRYN. JONES Bachelor ofArts University ofK.ansas Lawrence, Kansas 1971 Submitted to the Faculty ofthe Graduate College ofthe Oklahoma State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS December 2003 TALL HISBAN: AN EXAMINATION OF THE MAMLUK SUGAR INDUSTRY FOURTEENTH CENTURY TRANSJORDAN Thesis Approved: eSIs AdvIser ~ - kz::::--' ~ ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The past three years represent an opportunity to finally complete a goal set long ago: to study history and work in a field close to my heart, archaeology. With the support and strength ofrny husband, Kerry B. Jones, I have been able to fulfill these dreams and aspirations,. I dedicate this thesis to him because he is the consummate scholar in my life, a leamed gentleman who daily demonstrates how knowledge and education can be used to create the true communityofhumanity. Because ofhim, I have never strayed too far from tbat erudite world so rich in tradition and excellence. I also wish to thank my two brilliant and wonderful children, Caroline and Patrick, for not just their support, but for drawing me into their world and allowing me to share in their lives. My experience as a mother bas shown me what kind ofteacher I want to be. I am so proud ofth,em and what they have accomplished. They have been my teachers. Few people have had the kind offamily support that I have enjoyed. Dr. Craig Jones has not just been my father-in-law, but for the last twenty years, he has been my father and I am so grateful for the relationship we have.
[Show full text]
15.Gideon M. Kressel.Pdf
LET SHEPHERDING ENDURE SUNY series in Anthropology and Judaic Studies Walter P. Zenner, Editor LET SHEPHERDING ENDURE APPLIED ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE PRESERVATION OF A CULTURAL TRADITION IN ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST Gideon M. Kressel STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK PRESS Published by State University of New York Press, Albany © 2003 State University of New York All rights reserved Printed in the United States of America No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission. No part of this book may be stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means including electronic, electrostatic, magnetic tape, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior permission in writing of the publisher. For information, address State University of New York Press, 90 State Street, Suite 700, Albany, NY 12207 Production by Diane Ganeles Marketing by Patrick Durocher Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Kressel, Gideon M., 1936– Let shepherding endure : applied anthropology and the preservation of a cultural tradition in Israel and the Middle East / Gideon M. Kressel. p. cm. — (SUNY series in anthropology and Judaic studies) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7914-5805-9 (alk. paper) — ISBN 0-7914-5806-7 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Shepherds—Middle East. 2. Shepherds—Israel. 3. Pastoral systems—Middle East. 4. Pastoral systems—Israel. 5. Bedouins—Land tenure—Middle East. 6. Bedouins—Domestic animals—Middle East. 7. Desert conservation—Middle East.
[Show full text]
The Nile and Irrigation System During the Mamluk Period (1468-1517)
Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, 5(9): 2264-2268, 2011 ISSN 1991-8178 The Nile and Irrigation System during the Mamluk Period (1468-1517) Wan Kamal Mujani Institute of West Asian Studies (IKRAB), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 43600 Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia. Abstract: Agriculture has been the main source of the economy for all dynasties established in Egypt, and the Mamluk kingdom was no exception. This can be seen from the fact that the Mamluk sultans gave special attention to this sector by establishing various bureaus specifically to supervise agricultural activity. Indeed, most of the inhabitants of Egypt were involved in agricultural activity of one sort or another. Therefore, the following is a discussion of the Nile and irrigation system in Egypt so as to explore its importance in relation to agricultural activities. This article finds that the Nile was and remains the main source of agricultural prosperity since this country has a dry climate and consists wholly of desert. There are several factors that affected irrigation system during the period under review such as the negligence in digging canals and in repairing irrigation dams. Key words: Nile, irrigation system, agriculture, Mamluk. INTRODUCTION The history of agriculture under the Mamluks cannot be understood in isolation. On the one hand, it closely corresponds to modern circumstances, while on the other, the practices of Mamluk agriculture were clearly a continuation of those in existence during Pharaonic times. Indeed, it is not uncommon for contemporary scholars to remark on the basically unchanging nature of agricultural activity in Egypt. For example, Alan K. Bowman and Eugene Rogan (1999) remark: It is easy even in the 1990s to stand on the banks of the Nile, to observe the rectangular plots of land, the primitive methods of irrigation, the continued reliance on animal power and basic tools and to aver that agrarian life in Egypt has changed little since Pharaonic times.
[Show full text]
Carl F. Petry I. Education Carleton College, B.A., 1965 the University
1 CURRICULUM VITAE Carl F. Petry I. Education Carleton College, B.A., 1965 The University of Michigan, M. A., 1966 The University of Michigan, Ph.D., 1974 II. Employment 1965-74: Graduate studies in pursuit of the Ph.D. in Middle Eastern (Islamic) History at the University of Michigan. Director of Curriculum Development Group, Center for Near Eastern and North African Studies, UM (1973-74). 1974-80: Assistant Professor, Department of History, Northwestern University (Appointment to Graduate Faculty, 11 June 1979). 1980-1992: Associate Professor 1992: Professor Spring 1986, Visiting Professor, Department of Near Eastern Spring 1999: Languages and Civilizations, The University of Chicago 1994: Charles Deering McCormick Professor of Teaching Excellence (NU) 2009: Hamad ibn Khalifa Al Thani Professor of Middle East Studies (NU) III. Professional Interests: The Islamic Middle East, 550 C.E.--present Medieval and Modern Egypt Historical Prosopography Islamic Urban Studies Secondary Fields: Ancient Middle East Medieval Europe Ethnology of the Middle East Languages: Arabic (Literary and Egyptian Colloquial), French, German, Latin IV. Professional Activities A) Publications: 1) Books: 2 1. The Civilian Elite of Cairo in the Later Middle Ages: Social Autonomy and Political Adversity in Mamluk Egypt Princeton University Press (Princeton Studies in the Near East) 1982. https://press.princeton.edu/titles/1706.html 2. Twilight of Majesty: The Reigns of the Mamluk Sultans al-Ashraf Qaytbay and Qansuh al-Ghawri in Egypt, University of Washington Press, 1993. 3. Protectors or Praetorians? The Last Mamluk Sultans and Egypt's Waning as a Great Power, State University of New York Press (Medieval Middle East History series), 1994.
[Show full text]