The sun., 1901-05-05

market The habit OF employing ihTk'
bodyguard Of foreign, and especially Turkish,
slaves dated from the time of the Ab0asid
Callphs OF Bagdad, who imported the mana
some, vigorous youth OF Central Asia 10 pro-
tect them against the Arab tribes ana tho
rising power Of the Provincial GoVernor'
In the end, their Turkish guards became
their jaiers In the same fashion the most
able and ambitious Of the slave Generals
of the SelIuk Sultans became the FOUNDERS
Of the numerous independent uyhas't'
that gradually shared what was left OF the
Seljuk Empire Nur-ed-din and SoIau!h
we're surrounded by choice companies OF
Mamluks. brought up with peculiar care ex-
eroised in all manly exploits. splehdiaJ
equipped and trained In the art OF war.
rne clstom of maintaining hd~th OF
bodyguard Of white slave, or freedmen
wa, continued under Ssadin's successors
| and the system was brought 10 the highest
pitch Of efficiency by his grandnephe"'
Salih This sultan had early experiences
| of the jeaousies of his kinsmen and the hos
tIity Of tho Franks; he pat little trust IN
| the ordinary Egyptian and Arab levies and
| or ated a small but perfectly trained array
| OF purchased saves. mis- personal property
| who owed everything to his favor. These
Mamluks he imported from various markets.
| but, wherever they might be bought, ths
| great majority were Turks Tho corps
| a'dlc Of picked horsemen wore stationed at
| tho castle which ; .lih hai bait on the island
| OF Rooa In tho Nile. opposite Fustat, ana
| from thsir hlviai DurrdcK, thay aclllrei
| the namo of "Bahri Mamlgks," or the N.its
| slaves of the river They we're not ths
| only Mamluks In his service by any means.
! but they were the most favored ana %" '-
| full regiments. The circumstance oi '.
| WIS so far from being a sugm1 th1l 80
| later celebrated L mir was looked as
| upon because he mad not been a save =
| the East indeed. the relationship oil s. -
TO master has always approached k'n'Lo
more nearly than servitudr The Flhf'''
| at all events, were proud OF their 'rEil'
| aad il formed no bar TO their aiVl i'em"n'.
| Their CJlonels, or j. nr> OF i'o9sahu.
| exercised great influence. and ON" OF Inen
became cOmmandcr-ln-ChIet al!'r lh" Otl,
tie OF Man-ura, IN which 81 Inul' Gilh"i
Pyrrhlc victory, ihy'" Hlm, ,r,,n n'' IN.
| rank Of common slaves To- posts "i honor
/ az their MASTER court ih"N htd Decor ~
| Gun bearers or tasters, or mHst'r~ ~ mo
| hors. and had won their cniran, ui-cmeEg
! these freed Mamluks became, in ihmt iurn.
| the masters or 'Nner- oi ",hrr M1liurs.
| Thus at the very be ginning 81 ih"lr h,,t"rv
| we fnd "A number OF very pp""rini 'lIt
| that had acquired a Iarg" Hodf oi retainer,
! wn0m they led TO battle ana "a" Wri' lr.N
| To support them 10 the drIth AIler m
murder OF Turanshah. the ia-t r"'GnI
representative Of the AyLnb,d d. ha,lt'
murder which was me N"Ik "l we b'I'lI'
| h IVA, but a snort step to Ir' throne, anu
| for the next i3O wears the Cpluu"l> oi ms
| celebrated regiment and Their d"'''1 u"
rapidly succeeded each Other e ,NullIt
Of Egypt Most Of these Sui, - died violent
| deHtnS At the hands Oi riy1' Il mrs, ana .ls
| safety Of the ruler Tor the tiln' bong l'-
| pended mainly upon the numbers tnd our -
| -
! the 4 eater part OF the ly1d oi Eyip' Nt'
eventually held by the Yr, ana soldiers
| of The guard uI 1'ri- Frt'l'I NN ib' TOW
The uncertainty Of the tenure Of rovor
and the usua breyity of their relgnS winch
averaged only about h,e yca;-, nah ~
astonishing tnat the MamlnE Sulano >hrnld
! have found leisure to promote the many
! noble works OF architecture and rngll"er-
ing which. according to our author, ai,,,
! iinuuisled their rule above any OtHrr perlOd
! of Egyptlan history since the Christian era
| The Su.. an Beybars, Tor Instance founded
and restored mosques ana cnnese ana 70
! bJt the Hail Of Justice AT the foot "f the 'lt-
I adel lie enlarged the irrigation caLals
! and dug new ones. made roads and BRIDGES
| Iortined Alexandria and repaired th" Pharos.
| and protected thr mouths nt the Nj" from
! the risk OF fOreigA invasion, lie revived
he Egyptian fleet, butt iorty war galltys
| and maintained IL coo regular troops, not
, reCkonlnx the Arab and Egyptian militia or
I ooCa,iOuli levies. One reads IN MS reign
more often OF old taxes repealed than ot
fresh duties imposed. and his treasury was
filed less by the Egyptian iupost- than by
tb" contributions from the conquered cities
ani districts OF SYRIA the UipaIe OF H,i "A7sai
| dues OF the ports. some Tea OF ms Wetl,h
, may be gained from the list OF the presents
] he sent to his ally, the Khan Of the Golden
. Horde -uzerain ~ Russia. Among them
! we're a throne lnlOid with carved ebony ana
| ivory, a silver chest. choice prHyer-carlctI
I curtains, cushions lnnumerable' me sWoru-
| hIades with silver hits. saddles, bows from
Damascus. Arabian jayelins. silver ana
elamelled lamps ana chandeler7. p'lIttie957
/ Koran in a gOld-embrOldcred case, black
/ eInuChs cooks. Arab horses dromedafles.
! mules Wild asses, giraies, ayes ana parrnte;
The same Sultan established welI-or san'%en eI
system OF posts connecting every pSrt o.
! hi, wide domlnIons with the capital. RELAYS
of horses were In readiness az each posting,
house and twice We rom rme al 1Iosp pST,s Of tha
! realm BESIDES the ordinary mail. there
/ was also a plS"on-post WhIch was no Iess
"The pigeons we're kept In cots at the cita del
! and Il various s.ageS which We're further
apart than those of the horses the bro was
! f'ained to stop at the nrst post coti wheIe
itS letter vould he detached ana then at
| tached 10 tne wing Of another pigeon toi the
next stage when one OF the royal pigeons
was tcrmitted TO detdch ne parchment save
The sultan himself. The corIespondencs
conducted by these posts was often con, d,
! siiora n, us may be seen by an example o,
I ia business hours OF Beyoars no TTi'et
before ryre one nls.t tgn' wSs Ms 'n.cTe sacre.
dhtely pitched 6y 'oscniSnt Hrs s,,spnnncd ue
vi,TH The Commnnder-in Chief and the All
1 U,tart-(pIeraI was instructed TO draw up
G1r4sra Fer .'lrs the ~ccTetHre. Ccl ed not
| 70 write letters and Diplomas, 10 WlnCh me
sultan affixed his seal ., ........
| The first thiId Of the fourteenth century
| wa, for Egypt an age OF eNtraOTqharS brlI-
| Iluce in almost every aspect. In splie oI
| H.. occasional records of secretly md hlgh
| urices tho wealth Of the country, Wheeler
trr,n tfs fertile soil or frO.u heover- Cred ~n :
| IA da with Europe and the East, was immense.
! IL the fortunes of individuals may be ac-
| "aptad as "A to-t The accounts OF tne a u>t
| f,61lnus proN' gality Of the Emlrs Of tho
| Tins I'm Tie Aruc chronicles bear witness
| 10 their vast resources. ana the thirty or
| ,nnre mo gnifCcnt mosques built by sultan
Ea.!r's Fmirs are proof thai wealth vas
| sonetines spent to good purpoS" Mr.
T@Ue-Poolc j. inclined 10 pronounce ths
er,hitecture Of this period the finest In The
history NJ -nrscenc art In the Nile country.
| Never we're he minor arts brought rNGrer
| 70 perfection. Beautiful bowls, perfume
| bearers oGskCts, Koran cases and sWa !
tables were made of bronze or brass, 0ften
| cut out a jour and inlaid with admirably
| CHI sed De Agns in s'lNo'. .
Tnauelled glass lamps Illuminated Korars,
carved wooden panels painted ceilings md
cycry Mad Of decoration W. % DIT. ruished
frr a beauty never euualed before or since
Whom an example Of tie finest Saraceuin
art is encountered In Eurlperu museums
one IL almost sure 20 hnd in IT. In crlption
tho word s-Mclokt cn-N.-ir" the lMamluk)
! Of el-Nsik en-\a-r
| II will be- remowher'd that in 1858 tbs
NnngolS under lIUlIgy Khan took btgdad
| and murdered the qliNh, h'trr which thsv