State and rural society in medieval Islam
Subtitle: sultans, muqtaʻs, and fallahun
By: by Sato Tsugitaka.
Series: Islamic history and civilization.; v. 17
Publisher: E.J. Brill
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Leiden; New York
Language: eng
Number of pages: 337
Subjects: Land tenure -- Egypt -- History; Land tenure -- Iraq -- History; Land tenure -- Syria -- History; Land reform -- Egypt -- History; Land reform -- Iraq -- History; Land reform -- Syria -- History; Social history -- Medieval, 500-1500; Civilization, Islamic
Description: This book deals with the evolution of Islamic state and society from the tenth to the fourteenth centuries, focusing on the history of the Arab society under the iqta (allocated tax revenue) system. The book offers a well documented study of the system with its use of hitherto unpublished Arabic manuscripts.

The introductory chapter deals with the historical origins of the iqta system, while chapters that follow discuss the history of the system in Iraq, Syria and Egypt, including systematic studies on the rural life and peasantry in Egypt. State and Rural Society in Medieval Islam is the first thorough, book-length study to show how this system may explain various historical phenomena in medieval Islam. The iqta system now can be seen as a system with a comprehensive life of its own.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. [260]-311) and index.