MAMLUK

The Mamluk people were initially part of the Ayyubid Civilization as enslaved people until Mamluks overthrew the final Ayyubid sultan [i]. The Mamluks then established their own rule in 1250 and ruled over their former Ayyubid “owners”. While the Mamluk Dynasty’s inception coincided with their victory over Mongol armies [ii], it was the status reversal with the Ayyubids that solidified the Mamluks as rulers. The Mamluks built one of the most remarkable Islamic Empires of the later Middle Ages, and elevated Cairo [iii] as the empire’s artistic, cultural, and economic epicenter. The Mamluk Sultans' misrule eventually led to the dynasty’s decline after 300 years.

An agreement known as the Catalan-Mamluk Treaty [iv] was reached between the kings of three separate empires; León, Galicia, and Asturias, and the seventh Bahri Mamluk Sultan [v]. This secured the Mamluk civilizations’ naval defense, as the Catalans became a power in the Mediterranean, and later became allies with the Mamluks. In 1254, the Mamluks even secured an alliance with their prior enslavers, the Ayyubid Dynasty. The Mamluks’ primary rivals were the Armenians [vi], Mongols [vii], a faction led by Saif ad-Din Qutuz [viii], and the Ilkhanate [ix]. Most interestingly, the Venetians were a long-enduring rival of the Mamluks, but continued trading with them despite their rivalry.

Throughout the Mamluks’ 300-year dynasty, modern-day Cairo thrived architecturally and left a longstanding legacy of architectural designs and techniques for years to come. Ablaq [x], a Malmukian design which involves alternating layers of white, red, or black stone can still be found inside the Italian cathedrals [xi] of modern-day Genoa and Pisa. The Mamluk people were immensely skilled and proud architects. Along with Albaq, Mamluks are also credited with the stalactite designs [xii] found inside door arches and mashrabiya windows [xiii]. In October of 2020, Cairo announced its plans to turn the 15th century Mamluk Sultans 1481 caravansary [xiv] into a heritage-focused hotel to boost tourism.

The Mamluk people, who formerly served in the Egyptian military during the Ayyubid Caliphate [xv], devised a system that spoke to their past as recruited slave soldiers. The Mamluks’ ruling system held the Sultan in the highest regard. Mamluk people paid their allegiance to the Sultan and to the ruling system itself. This system granted every once-ordinary Mamluk man renewed status [xvi] as a "lord" over any single Egyptian civilian. Perhaps the most notable element of their ruling system was the ordinance [xvii] and stipulation that no foreigners, sons of slaves, or sons of rulers could not join the ranks of the military elite [xviii].

The death of the Ayyubid Sultan at the hands of Bahri Mamluks officially established the Mamluk Dynasty’s inception in 1249 [xix]. Bahri Mamluks later fled Cairo to form an alliance with the Ayyubids in Syria. At the time, the Mongol Empire [xx] had besieged modern-day Baghdad, but were defeated by Mamluks. However, the Circassians-- an ethnic group from the northeast shore of the Black Sea revolted against the Mamluk Dynasty. The Burji Mamluk Dynasty [xxi] began, marking the emergence [xxii] of Circassian Mamluks. The Ottomans [xxiii] won a decisive victory over the Mamluks, thus bringing the richest chapter of this particular Mamluks history to an end.

The Mosque-Madrassa of Sultan Hassan was commissioned by the Mamluk Sultan of Egypt, An-Nasir Hassan [xxiv], and completed in 1359. To this day, it remains one of the world’s largest mosques [xxv]. Many of the Mamluk Dynasty’s tangible key accomplishments pay homage to their prowess and capacity for jaw-dropping architecture [xxvi]. However, architecture wasn’t the entirety of the Mamluk legacy. In the years leading up to 1500, the Mamluk Sultans dominated the global pepper trade [xxvii], which provided a consistent and dependable revenue source to pay for military expenses. The Indian Ocean commerce route also had a highly positive effect on the Mamluk civilizations’ economy.

The Mamluk military generated revenue through state control [xxviii] of agricultural landholdings [xxix]. Retired and disabled Mamluks could be given land grants, known as rizaq [xxx]. with no permanent legal claim. When enough wealth was developed, Mamluks sought to invest in a waqf [xxxi], which allowed their families to live securely without fear of their assets being confiscated by the Sultan. Each time a waqf was created, the taxable land volume of the sultanate decreased. Over time, the resources that could be transferred to the Sultan were minimized and the governments’ stability became more precarious with every successive generation, eventually leading to the dynasty’s collapse.