Circassian Mamluks (Mamelukes) in Egypt. Warrior-slaves.
For many centuries the system of military slavery was of great importance for the states of the Islamic world. It served as the basis of military power of Muslims, who by the hands of gulams, kulemen, janissaries and mamluks won many glorious victories over the followers of the cross. However, only the Mamluks managed to turn from warriors — slaves into feudal lords, who for more than five hundred years headed the Syrian-Egyptian empire of Ayyubids, occupying a strategic position between the West and the East. At the same time, the most important role in the Mamluk system was played by Circassians (Adygs) — natives of the Caucasus, as most of the warriors in the middle and late period of the Mamluk sultanate were supplied by Circassia.
Mamluk cavalry attack. XVIII century.
In Arabic, the word Mamluk (mameluk) means slave (“one who is owned”). However, in fact, unlike slaves by birth, Mamluks (Mamelukes) were considered only acquired, necessarily white slaves, who were used as soldiers and bodyguards. Moreover, this term applied not only to slaves, but also to those of them, who for military merits received freedom and, in fact, became a mercenary of Mamluk origin. And if the Turkish Janissaries were rightly considered the best infantry of the Muslims, the Egyptian Mamluks (Mamelukes) earned the fame of the best cavalry of the Islamic world.
Sultan Saladin accepts the surrender of Guy de Lusignan after the Battle of Hattin (July 4, 1187).
Reform of Salah ad-Din.
In 1171, Salah ad-Din (or Saladin, as he is commonly called in the Christian world) became Sultan of Egypt, deposing the Fatimid dynasty and establishing the Kurdish Ayyubid dynasty. He had the difficult burden of gathering Muslim lands and repelling the first crusades. Under him, a new stage in the history of slave warriors began. Salah al-Din introduced in Egypt the distribution of ikt (land plots) to mamluks (Mamelukes) and their emirs (leaders) for their service in the guard, army and navy. From that moment the Mamluks (Mamelukes) began to turn into feudal lords of Egypt. With their help Salah ad-Din managed to unite Egypt and Syria into a single state, to successfully wage war with the Crusaders, and inflicted on them several heavy defeats that stopped the Christian expansion.
The Kaaba is the shrine of all Muslims.
Pillars of Islam.
Having protected the Islamic civilization from ruthless crusaders and wild hordes of Mongols, the Mamluks gained exceptional authority in the Muslim world. According to Muslims, the land of Islam has always been a unified whole and should have a single leader and mentor. The Mamluk rulers of Egypt became such in the eyes of the faithful — “intercessors of faith”, “pillars of Islam”. Their power was recognized in Mecca and Medina, their soldiers guarded pilgrims, and their emirs led the Hajj. In addition, the Egyptian sultans had the sole right to send the sacred veil for the Kaaba, the shrine of all Muslims. Defending their right to the title of “Sultan of Islam” from the encroachments of other influential rulers of the Muslim world, the Mamluk rulers did not stop even before the threat of armed conflict. At the same time, neither Adygs nor Kipchaks, who formed the backbone of the Mamluk corporation, were ever characterized by religious fanaticism and treated Christians and Jews living inside the country with a great deal of tolerance.
Cairo Citadel — the “heart” of the Mamluk Empire (built by Saladin, presumably in 1176 -1183).
River Mamluks and Tower Mamluks.
During the reign of the Mamluk sultan Kalaun (1279-1290) his personal guards, recruited mainly from Circassian slaves, were stationed in round towers — burjas of the Cairo citadel, for which they received the nickname Burjits, i.e. tower mamluks. The predecessors of the Burjits were the Circassian Mamluks of the Guard of Salah ad Din and the Circassian Mamluks of the Salihiya regiment. In turn, the Mamluks (Mamelukes), based on the island of Ravda and consisting mainly of Turks, were still called Bakhrites, from the word “Bakhr” — river, i.e. river Mamluks. Between these two corporations there was a fierce competition for supremacy, often resulting in open military confrontation. Each party promoted its own candidate to the throne. The ruling sultans used this struggle for their own purposes, restraining the Bahrits with the help of the Burjits and vice versa.
The Circassian dynasty of the Mamluk sultans of Egypt and Syria
For 130 years, the more numerous Bahrits, who held most of the command positions in the army and navy, managed to retain power in the sultanate. However, the Burjites (Circassian Mamluks) also sought to seize it. The Cairo citadel, the heart of the empire, was in their hands, and this gave them the opportunity to actively interfere in all palace affairs. As a result of a series of conspiracies, coups and military clashes, hegemony in the state, slowly but steadily, passed from the Bahrits to the Burjits (Circassian Mamluks) and their proxies. This process ended in 1382 with the accession to the throne of the Circassian emir Barkuk. He became the first Mamluk sultan who pursued a policy aimed at creating an ethnic Circassian state. During his reign, most of the emir’s posts in the sultanate were occupied by Adygs. In addition, all the highest and middle administrative posts were in their hands. Circassian nationalism met fierce resistance from the Turks, but their resistance was severely suppressed. From that moment, and till the very end of existence of Mamluk sultanate (1517), its throne was occupied only by representatives of Circassian corporation, who became full-fledged rulers of Egypt. By this time many elements of Adyghe culture took root not only in Egypt itself, but also far beyond its borders.
Mamluks are knights of the desert.
As is known, the blossoming of European chivalry and its traditions practically coincided with the period of the Crusades. And it is not by chance. Once in the Middle East, Europeans encountered the true courage and nobility of Circassian Mamluks — Knights of the Desert, and hurried to borrow many of their customs. For example, the European knight tournaments, sung in many novels, are just a copy of the Mamluk tournaments, held on a special ring near the Cairo citadel. This was the way the Mamluks settled their disputes in one-on-one confrontations or equal games. According to some experts, the origin of heraldry also dates back to the early Mamluk era. Each Mamluk emir had his personal sign in the form of an image of a flower, beast or bird, which was worn on clothing, armor and weapons by all the soldiers subordinate to him. The system of education of knightly children outside the house, by transferring them to the service of other knights as henchmen and squires before being knighted, apparently originated in the custom of atalism, widespread among the Mamluk Circassians.