The state of the Mamluk sultans in Egypt by Ayman Fouad Sayed

Author: Ayman Fouad Said Publisher: Egyptian Lebanese House Edition: Second The main text of the book spans 183 pages, including the introduction, conclusion, and the book's index, and there are 36 pages of colored images which are not included in the 183-page pagination. The researcher Dr. Ayman Fouad Said divided his study into two sections: the first for political history and the second for intellectual and urban history. The author, in his introduction, presents a number of major events during the Mamluk period, such as their victory over the Crusaders, the end of Ayyubid rule in Egypt, and their confrontation with the Mongol threat coming from the East and repelling them. He then reviews the French, Western, and Jewish interest in translating Arabic writings related to the Mamluks (French Isaac de Sasso and his students in the 18th and 19th centuries) and the Jewish (Polyak, Yehoua Ashter, and David Ayalon — which is considered among the most important). Meanwhile, Egyptian interest in this period began with the opening of the Egyptian University in 1925. The author begins by tracing the Mamluk sultanate in Egypt and links the role of the military in repelling the Mongols and defeating the Crusaders, as well as the changes in the structure of the system, where the Mamluks (slaves and prisoners) replaced the Ayyubids. Their role started during the Ayyubid Sultan Najm al-Din Ayub, who left the military institution open for them. This marks the beginning of the Mamluk Bahri period (Turkish dominance), followed by the second “Burji” phase (Circassian dominance), who tried to prevent succession (except during the reign of Al-Mansur Qalawun). Then, the structure of the army and the role of the iqta’ system are discussed, where the Mamluk leaders share the land grants with their soldiers on a basis of one-third for them and two-thirds for the leaders. In tracing the Bahri Mamluk period (1250-1382), their role in defeating the Crusaders and capturing their leader is highlighted, as well as the role of Shajar al-Dur and her marriage to a Mamluk, who was their first sultan and ruled for seven years.