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27.9%ANMag Issue 27 Global Awareness
Mystic People from Our Past: The Mamluks
By Ghassan Teffaha, Staff Writer
Beirut, Lebanon – The Mamluks, which in Arabic means “Slave” or “Owned”, were captured natives from the regions of the Black Sea. They converted to Islam and were turned into a slave army that served with the Muslim armies of the Caliphs throughout the ninth and tenth century. Over time they grew in numbers and force and seized control form their ex-masters, establishing a dynasty that ruled parts of the Middle East for almost 750 years.
The rise to power of the Mamluks starts with the Ayyubid Dynasty which the Great leader, Salah Al din al Ayyubi founded in 1174. After Saladin's death, his sons fought each other over the rule of the Empire and each one of them attempted to surround himself with more and more Mamluk soldiers. The infighting between Salah Al din’s sons weakened the Ayyubid dynasty tremendously and allowed the Crusaders to regain parts of the Middle East. The last of these sultans, as-Salih, had over a decade bought large quantities of Mamluks from foreign lands in order to protect his own position. Upon his death, the Mamluks had his heir murdered, and transferred power to their own ranks through the Ayyubid sultan's last wife, Shajarat ad-Durr. Political pressure for a male leader quelled Shajarat Ad-Durr to marry the Mamluk commander Aybak who was later killed in his bath and in the following power struggle Vice-Regent Qutuz took over. He formally founded the first Mamluk Sultanate.
The Mamluks strengthened their power grip with a series of stunning victories over 2 completely different and very formidable enemies who were threatening the existence of Muslims throughout the Middle East. Beginning in 1248 AD, King Louis IX of France, lead the seventh crusade. The target was Egypt which was rapidly being recognized as the richest and most powerful of Muslim provinces known to the Crusaders. The seventh Crusade landed on the shores of Egypt and took the city of Dumyat with ease. The newly formed Mamluk Sultanate did not take this lightly and quickly launched a counter attack against the French defeating them quickly, capturing King Louis himself and ransoming him for 250,000 Livres. The Mamluks wanted to root out any Crusader remains from the Middle East; however they had to face a more serious threat than the Crusaders. The unstoppable Mongols, led by Hulagu, had sacked Baghdad; which was considered to be the cultural capital of the world in 1258 AD. They occupied Damascus and Aleppo by 1260 AD and were marching on Egypt. The two armies met at Ayn Jallout south of Damascus in 1260 AD and in a dramatic turn of events, the Mongols were defeated by the Mamluks. They quickly routed another Mongol attack that resulted in the destruction of Aleppo and they firmly established themselves in the Middle East. The Mamluks then turned their attention onto the Crusaders and dealt a final blow in 1291 AD, where they crushed the Crusaders at Acre effectively bringing the Chapter of the Crusades to an end after almost 300 years of war.
The Mamluk Sultanate survived until 1517, when it was conquered by the Ottoman Empire who themselves shared a common history with the Mamluks as they themselves where the offspring of the Janissaries; slave armies of Turkish origin. However, The Mamluks retained a rule over Egypt under the Ottomans, though it was not the same as that of their Sultanate. In 1806, the Mamluks defeated the Ottaman forces several times, and in June, the rival parties concluded a peace treaty. According to it, Mohammad Ali, who was an Albanian national appointed as governor of Egypt by the Ottomans, was to be removed and the rule of Egypt was to be returned to the Mamluks. Muhammed Ali knew that he would have to deal with the Mamluks if he ever wanted to control Egypt as they were still the feudal owners of Egypt and their land was still the source of wealth and power. On March 1, 1811, Mohamad Ali invited all the Mamluk leaders to his palace to celebrate the declaration of war against the Wahhabis in Hijaz which is now the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Muhammad Ali's forces ambushed and slaughtered all but one in what came to be known as the Massacre of the Citadel. According to the tradition, the only Mamluk that lived survived when he cut his way through the ambush and jumped by horse over a precipice to freedom. In total, an estimated 3,000 Mamluks and their relatives were killed.