Guide to Mamluk Art
Welcome to this small display.
As much as anything the paucity of items points
to my lack of understanding of African Art. The
Mamluks ruled an empire based in Egypt that
extended west to Syria east into what is now
Southern Turkey and south into the Sudan. Of
course that included Palestine and the Levant as
well. Their rule lasted from from 1250 to 1517.
Mamluk means "slave" or
"owned" in Arabic and the Mamluks trace
their origin to a slave caste of Central Asian
Turks bought by the Ayyubid sultans. Realizing
the military potential of the warlike Turks they
quickly became the bodyguards and elite shock
troops of the Ayyubid dynasty. The Mamluks
finally grew stronger than their masters
overthrowing the last Ayyubid Sultan Turanshah in
1250.
The Mamluk reign was one of
fighting but also of culture and riches. Sitting
on top of major trade routes including the Nile
river, the western terminus of the Silk Route and
the short caravan route that provided access
between the Mediterranean and the Red Sea (the
sea route to India). Until the Portuguese
circumnavigated the Horn of Africa the Mamluks
were at the hub of world trade.
The
Mamluk Sultans of Egypt
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