This map illustrates the rise and evolution of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt (1250–1517), a dynasty founded by former slave-soldiers who transformed their seizure of power from the Ayyubids into a lasting state. For over two and a half centuries, the Mamluks presided over one of the most powerful and wealthiest realms of the late medieval world, ruling Egypt, Syria, the Levant, and the Hijaz until their conquest by the Ottoman Empire.
The Mamluks first took control in 1250, following the death of Ayyubid sultan al-Ṣāliḥ Ayyūb, when his mamlūk army in Egypt overthrew the dynasty there and briefly elevated Shajar al-Durr, the sultan’s widow, before Aybak consolidated rule. Their early decades were marked by factional struggles but also decisive victories: Sultan Qutuz and Baybars crushed the Mongols at the Battle of ʿAyn Jālūt (1260), halting their advance into the Middle East, while successive campaigns gradually dismantled the Crusader states, culminating with the fall of Acre in 1291. Under rulers such as Baybars (1260–1277) and al-Nāṣir Muḥammad (1293–1341, with interruptions), the sultanate developed into a centralized and immensely wealthy power, enriched by the spice trade and by control of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Despite cycles of intrigue, assassinations, and shifting factions, the Mamluks endured for more than 260 years until Sultan Selim I of the Ottoman Empire defeated them at Marj Dābiq (1516) and al-Ridāniyya (1517), bringing Egypt under Ottoman rule.
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Cite This Work
APA Style
Netchev, S. (2022, June 03). Map of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt c. 1330. World History Encyclopedia. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16003/map-of-the-mamluk-sultanate-of-egypt-c-1330/
Chicago Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt c. 1330." World History Encyclopedia, June 03, 2022. https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16003/map-of-the-mamluk-sultanate-of-egypt-c-1330/.
MLA Style
Netchev, Simeon. "Map of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt c. 1330." World History Encyclopedia, 03 Jun 2022, https://www.worldhistory.org/image/16003/map-of-the-mamluk-sultanate-of-egypt-c-1330/.
