The Mamluk Sultanate

The Mamluk Sultanate

Islamic expansion during the Mamluk Sultanate

The Mamluk Sultanate existed from 1250 to 1517 Gregorian, 648 to 923 Hijri, with their eventual overthrow by the Ottoman empire. Existing primarily in Egypt and Syria, the Mamluks were owned slaves, freed by their masters, but expected to maintain loyalty to the family. The Mamluk Sultanate was a military ruling class of soldiers which had constant tension with the Arabic society the Mamluks controlled. Indeed, Berkey writes that “Mamluk society was characterized by a constant tension between its ruling elite, which was largely (although not exclusively) Turkish in language and cultural orientation, and the Arabic-speaking population over whom they ruled.” The Mamluks' rule over the Arabic speaking population created a sense of “otherness” and confusion within society. However, the sense of “otherness” that Berkey speaks too ultimately allowed “for the spread of religious institutions and especially for deepening the authority of the ulama.”

Jonathan P. Berkey

Berkey, Jonathan P. The Formation of Islam (Cambridge University Press, 2002).

Cambridge University Press

1250 to 1517 Gregorian, 648 to 923 Hijri

English

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