From: oueichek@gram (Ibaa Oueichek)
Subject: Re: Mamluk Remnants in Tripoli
Organization: IMAG Institute, University of Grenoble, France
X-Newsreader: Tin 1.1 PL5
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 12:50:00 GMT

Basil Hamdan (bh437292@longs.LANCE.ColoState.Edu) wrote:
: In article <1jpnk2INNh7c@srvr1.engin.umich.edu>, kamprath@space-grant.sprl.umich.edu (Michael F. Kamprath) writes:
: |> In article <C17w0G.C9K@ecf.toronto.edu> FAHS Samir M, fahs@ecf.toronto.edu
: |> writes:
: |> >
: |> >Recently on SCL, there was a mention of the remnants of the Mamluks in
: |> Tripoli. 
: |> >Some excerpts from a book by John Gulick, Tripoli: A Modern Arab City, are
: |> >included below.  The book dates back to 1967, and as the title indicates
: |> >it is not totally devoted to the history of the city, but it addresses the
: |> >different aspects of it at the time the book was written. 
: |> >
: |> 
: |> What/Who are the Mamluks?
: 
: The Mamluks, are a dynasty that ruled parts of the Middle East for about
: 3 centuries, roughly from 1250, to 1550.  So the Mamluk era left its 
: stamp on the Arachitecture of the buildings mentioned by Samir.
: Mamluk, litterally means "that which is owned", or in other words
: slaves.  The rulers during these times used to have a sort of slave
: mercenaries as armies and advisers.  In the 1200's the Abbasid
: Califate in Iraq was overrun by the Mongol invasion of Hulachu, the
: Mongols at their furthest extension went as far as the Syrian Coast
: (nowadays Lebanon and Syria) which was controlled by the Ayyubids
: (the nephews of Saladin or Salah el Deen Al Ayyubi), who had expelled 
: the Crusaders.
: The Mamluks had first taken over the rule of  Egypt after the collapse of
: the Ayyubid dynasty and they were the ones that repelled the Mogols out 
: of Syria (Baybars was their miltary leader) and took over the rule.
: The Mamluks were mostly of Turkish origin, issued from inner Asia
: and the Caucase.  Their dynasties were not handed from father to son,
: only those recruited and trained as military leaders were allowed to 
: access positions of power, and usually the sons of Mamluk leaders did
: not enter the ranks of the Mamluks.
  The power was handed among Mamluks through "coups d'etats", it was so
anarchic that between Belbai and Kaitbai there were two other Mamluks
who ruled for only two days.
  The Mamluks took the rule over Egypt through the marriage of the first 
Mamlouk ruler Ez Eddeen Aibak with the famous queen Shajarat eddor (who
herself was a Mamluk), the widow of the last Ayyubid ruler Al Malek Essaleh 
Najm Eddeen Ayoub. 
  As a whole, the Arabic world was already in a mess when they ruled over, 
and they didn't make it better. Despite the wisdom and the courage of several
Mamlouki leaders, to mention Baybars who threw the last crusaders out of
Syria, Kalawoon and Kaitbai who were illustrate rulers.
  I think (maybe i'm wrong, but it's the first reference to such a thing
i've seen) we "owe" them the invention of the secret service. Those were
called "Al bassasa" and they were infiltrated among the public to listen and
give reports to the ruler who eventually "dealt" with people in the appropriate
manner.  Those shouldn't be confused with the regular police (Assas) which 
had always existed before and whose the task was to protect people.

: 
: 
: 
: Basil

--
Sham(u) ya tha (s)seif(u) lam yaghib(i) | Ibaa Oueichek. oueichek@imag.imag.fr
    Ya jamal(al) majd(i) fi(l) kutub(i) | IMAG, INPG.
Kablak(i) (t)tareekh(u) fi thulmaten    | Grenoble. 
    Baadak(i) staula ala (sh)shuhub(i)  |
					

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