Echoes of the Eurasian Steppe in the Daily Culture of Mamluk Military Society

The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria (1250–1517 ce) was based on a military-political elite of Eurasian Steppe provenance, brought to the Eastern Mediterranean as youths. In the early decades of the Sultanate, most of these were Qipchaq Turks, but additional groups of Turks, Mongols and others we...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society 2016-01, Vol.26 (1-2), p.261-270
Main Author: AMITAI, REUVEN
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Arabic language
Cultural heritage
Cultural identity
Culture
Language
Language culture relationship
Middle Eastern history
Military history
Muslims
Names
Part IV: Beyond the Empire
Politics
Religion
Rituals
Sports
Writers
Citations: Items that this one cites
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Summary:The Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt and Syria (1250–1517 ce) was based on a military-political elite of Eurasian Steppe provenance, brought to the Eastern Mediterranean as youths. In the early decades of the Sultanate, most of these were Qipchaq Turks, but additional groups of Turks, Mongols and others were also well represented. The impact of the Eurasian military tradition has been long noted by scholars. However, some other aspects of the Inner Asian legacy have not been fully explored. In this paper I will look at a few characteristics of this cultural heritage: names, daily language, drinking habits, sports, hunting, religious rituals, and cultural awareness. The question of identity of the ruling strata of the Dawlat al-Turk/al-Atrak (“The Dynasty/State of the Turks), as the Mamluk Sultanate was then known in Arabic, will be broached at the end of the paper.
ISSN:1356-1863
2051-2066
1474-0591
DOI:10.1017/S1356186315000358