Mamluk Sultanate

By the time of the fall of the Ayyubids , most Mamluks were Kipchak Turks . While Mamluks were purchased, their status was above ordinary slaves, who were not allowed to carry weapons or perform certain tasks. Mamluks were considered to be “true lords,” with social status above freeborn Egyptians . The Historiography of Islamic Egypt (C. 950-1800) . A History of African Societies to 1870 .

It lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid Dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks , soldiers of predominantly Cuman - Kipchaks (from Crimea ), Circassian , Oghuz and Georgian slave origin. While Mamluks were purchased, their status was above ordinary slaves, who were not allowed to carry weapons or perform certain tasks. Mamluks were considered to be "true lords", with social status above freeborn Egyptian Muslims. Though it declined towards the end of its existence, at its height the sultanate represented the zenith of medieval Egyptian and Levantine political, economic, and cultural glory in the Islamic era. The Historiography of Islamic Egypt: (c. 950–1800) . A History of African Societies to 1870 . The History of Egypt .

Ancient Egypt Greco-Roman Egypt Medieval Egypt Early modern Egypt Late Modern Egypt Egypt portal v t e The Mamluk Sultanate ( ) was a medieval realm spanning Egypt , the Levant , and Hejaz that established itself as a caliphate . It lasted from the overthrow of the Ayyubid dynasty until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Historians have traditionally broken the era of Mamlūk rule into two periods—one covering 1250–1382, the other, 1382–1517. Western historians call the former the " Baḥrī " period and the latter the " Burjī " due to the political dominance of the regimes known by these names during the respective eras. Contemporary Muslim historians refer to the same divisions as the " Turkic " and " Circassian " periods in order to stress the change in the ethnic origins of the majority of Mamlūks. The Mamlūk state reached its height under Turkic rule with Arabic culture and then fell into a prolonged phase of decline under the Circassians. The sultanate's ruling caste was composed of Mamluks , soldiers of predominantly Cuman - Kipchaks (from Crimea ), Circassian, Abkhazian , Oghuz Turks and Georgian slave origin. While Mamluks were purchased, their status was above ordinary slaves, who were not allowed to carry weapons or perform certain tasks. Mamluks were considered to be "true lords", with social status above citizens of Egypt. Though it declined towards the end of its existence, at its height the sultanate represented the zenith of medieval Egyptian and Levantine political, economic, and cultural glory in the Islamic Golden Age . "Egypt - The Mamluks, 1250-1517" . countrystudies.us . The Later Crusades, 1189-1311 . A History of African Societies to 1870 . The History of Egypt .

State in Egypt, Hejaz and the Levant (1250–1517) For the Mamluk sultanate of Delhi, see Mamluk dynasty (Delhi) . Ancient Egypt Greco-Roman Egypt Medieval Egypt Early modern Egypt Late Modern Egypt Egypt portal v t e The Mamluk Sultanate ( ), also known as Mamluk Egypt or the Mamluk Empire , was a state that ruled Egypt , the Levant and the Hejaz (western Arabia ) from the mid-13th to early 16th centuries. It was ruled by a military caste of mamluks (manumitted slave soldiers) headed by a sultan . The sultanate was established with the overthrow of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt in 1250 and was conquered by the Ottoman Empire in 1517. Mamluk history is generally divided into the Turkic or Bahri period (1250–1382) and the Circassian or Burji period (1382–1517), called after the predominant ethnicity or corps of the ruling Mamluks during these respective eras. The first rulers of the sultanate hailed from the mamluk regiments of the Ayyubid sultan as-Salih Ayyub ( r. 1240–1249 ), usurping power from his successor in 1250. The Mamluks under Sultan Qutuz and Baybars routed the Mongols in 1260, halting their southward expansion. They then conquered or gained suzerainty over the Ayyubids' Syrian principalities. By the end of the 13th century, through the efforts of sultans Baybars, Qalawun ( r. 1279–1290 ) and al-Ashraf Khalil ( r. 1290–1293 ), they conquered the Crusader states , expanded into Makuria ( Nubia ), Cyrenaica , the Hejaz and southern Anatolia . The sultanate then experienced a long period of stability and prosperity during the third reign of al-Nasir Muhammad (r. 1293–1294, 1299–1309, 1310–1341), before giving way to the internal strife characterizing the succession of his sons, when real power was held by senior emirs. One such emir, Barquq , overthrew the sultan in 1390, inaugurating Burji rule. Mamluk authority across the empire eroded under his successors due to foreign invasions, tribal rebellions, and natural disasters, and the state entered into a long period of financial distress. Under Sultan Barsbay major efforts were taken to replenish the treasury, particularly monopolization of trade with Europe and tax expeditions into the countryside. "Egypt - The Mamluks, 1250-1517" . countrystudies.us .