innercitylights:
did-you-kno:
Source
"While mamluks were purchased, their status was above ordinary slaves, who were not allowed to carry weapons or perform certain tasks. In places such as Egypt from the Ayyubid dynasty to the time of Muhammad Ali of Egypt, mamluks were considered to be ‘true lords’, with social status above freeborn Muslims."
I think this is something my readers would be interested in.
Mamluk history is kind of incredible, and you can read a lot more about it here. They were one of the most elite military forces in history-they fought in battles during the Crusades, during the formation of the Mongolian Empire, and were always a potent political force.
They had a very strict code of conduct, the Furusiyya (much like the Code of Chivalry) and there are illuminated manuscripts that survive with lovely illustrations.
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Great emphasis was placed upon the Furusiyya – a word made up of the three elements: the ‘ulum (science), funun (arts) and adab (literature) – of cavalry skills.
The Furusiyya was not dissimilar to the chivalric code of the Christian knight insofar as it included a moral code embracing virtues such as courage, valour, magnanimity and generosity; but it also addressed the management, training and care of the horses that carried the warrior into battle and provided him with leisure time sporting activities.
It also included cavalry tactics, riding techniques, armour and mounted archery. Some texts even discussed military tactics: the formation of armies, the use of fire and smoke screens. Even the treatment of wounds was addressed.
It’s also important to point out that the Mamluk Sultanate was an independent (not enslaved) political entity in Egypt, and that they played a great role in the interaction and politics of religion during the Crusades in the Mediterranean, Northern Africa, Central Asia, and other contested regions.
You can learn more about the interactions of Jewish, Muslim, and christian peoples under the Mamluk Sultanate here at the Jewish Virtual Library.
This is a great post that I just have to reblog! I remember reading about them during my Mongol seminar. The Mamluks come up in history repeatedly. They were active as a polity for so long. Around the turn of the century when Napoleon campaigned in Egypt he fought Mamluk soldiers and then hired a small number of them, who fought with the French armies in Spain. — Hayley ^_^
