The Mamluks ("chattel"), formerly slaves of the sultan formed a dynasty that ruled Egypt from 1250-1517 when the Ottoman Turks conquered them. The period of Mamluk rule is divided between the Bahri (River) Mamluks who ruled from 1250-1382 and the Burgi (Tower) Mamluks who ruled from 1382 to 1517. The Bahri Mamluks were strong rulers who controlled not only Egypt but also Syria. They kept the Mongols out of Egypt. The Mamluks were great builders, constructing some of the most impressive buildings of Cairo.
*Mosque of Baybars al Bunduqdari, 1266-69
Compare the Fatimid Mosque of al-Hakim,
990 and 1013
Mausoleum of Baybars al Bunduqdari, (in
Damascus), 1277-81
*Complex of Sultan Qala'un, 1283-1285
Mausoleum of Bint Sukbay (wife of Qala'un),
popularly associated with of Fatima Khatun, 1283
Complex of al-Nasir Muhammad, 1295-1304
Complex of Salar and Sangar al-Jawli,
begun 1303
*Complex of Hasan, begun 1356
Complex known as the "Sultaniya," (Anonymous
mausoleum in the southern cemetery) 1350s
Tombs of the Caliphs in the northern cemetery
of Cairo
Sultan Barsbay Nagashi, 1432
*Sultan Qa'itbay, 1472-1474
ARTS UNDER THE MAMLUKS
Manuscripts
*Koran, Freer Gallery of Art, 14th century
Koran, Cairo National Library, c. 1370
Maqamat of al-Hariri
Frontispiece from manuscript in Vienna, 1334
Oxford, Bodleian Library, 1337
*Automata (Book of Mechanical Devices) by Al Jaziri, Egypt or Syria, 1315
Kalila wa Dimna, 14th century
Metalwork
"Baptistère of St.-Louis," Egypt or Syria, 1290-1310
Other examples
Glass
Mosque Lamps, 14th century
Textiles
NASRID SPAIN
After the fall of the Umayyads in Spain in the mid 11th century, Spain was ruled by a series of minor dynasties. The Nasrids had a small kingdom centered in Granada from 1232 until the Muslims were expelled from Spain in 1492.
*The Alhambra
built by Yusuf I (1333-1353) and Muhammad V (1353-1391).
*Alhambra vases, 14th century
Pottery
Textiles
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VIEWS OF THE ALHAMBRA
Study Question: Look at images from Kalila wa Dimna. Compare the Mamluk images with the Mongol ones.
Consult E. Atil, Kalila wa Dimna:
Fables from a Fourteenth-Century Arabic Manuscript and
J. Cowen, Kalila wa Dimna.
For more information on the Alhambra, consult O. Grabar, The Alhambra.