The Mamluks empire spanned Egypt, Syria and Arabia for almost 300 years. They were incalcuably fierce yet, ironically, they're tenure ended near Aleppo in Syria. Back then, a Mamluk sultan would
personally lead his troops into battle, something that would be great to see today. Maybe then leaders wouldn't be so keen to go to war.
Going to war then was a visceral affair and the courage of the soldiers is beyond the comprehension of most of us today. I'm not saying today's soldiers aren't brave - that would be ludicrous - but on paper a sword fight scares me more than a gun fight.
Mamluks were a cast of elite slave soldiers. They were kidnapped from Christian families on the Eurasian steppe and then entered the ruling elite once they became experts in hand-to-hand combat. They were the ultimate bad-asses and silk robes complemented the armour you can see to the left. The army was must have been a magnificent sight and looking good was part of their code of chivalry (war is a dirty business so I'm not sure how much difference the silk and aftershave they wore made to the victims).
24 August, 1516, the Ottoman army led by Selim the Grim . Without getting in to any detail other than to say the Ottomans had already defeated the Byzantine Empire (Turkey) and were also fighting Persia (Iran), the Mamluks were ounumbered by three to one, plus the Ottoman's had infantry armed with muskets. The Ottoman's had no interest in gaining honour through hand-to-hand combat, they justed wanted the spoils. Not much has changed since.
The Mamluks were shot to pieces and the Ottomans became the new masters of Syria.
The new sultan in Cairo banned hashish and alcohol to maintain discipline in the terrified army. The Ottoman's decimated Gaza and marched on Cairo early in 1517. After what happened in Marj Dabq, the Mamuks made sure they had plenty of guns this time. The Ottomans won and pillaged Cairo for three days. The locals paid homage to their new masters. What else could they do?
Selim the Grim publicly hanged sultan Tumanbay (who was allegedly betrayed by Bedouin tribesmen - not sure what that means in the scheme of things). He returned to Istanbul with Syria, Egypt and the Hijaz (the birthplace of Islam) under his belt. For the first time since the birth of Islam the Arab world was ruled from a non-Arab capital, a 'political reality that would prove one of the defining features of modern Arab history'. However, most Arabs (i.e. Sunni Muslims) were more concerned with law and order and fair taxes to care where the capital was. No one relly missed the Mamluks in Syria because the Ottomans were fairer rulers. Because so much of their newly acquired territory was miles away the status quo didn't change much so long as taxes were paid.
Aleppo went on to become the great trade centres of Asia and the Mediterranean.
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| Mamluk horseman circa 1550 |
Going to war then was a visceral affair and the courage of the soldiers is beyond the comprehension of most of us today. I'm not saying today's soldiers aren't brave - that would be ludicrous - but on paper a sword fight scares me more than a gun fight.
Mamluks were a cast of elite slave soldiers. They were kidnapped from Christian families on the Eurasian steppe and then entered the ruling elite once they became experts in hand-to-hand combat. They were the ultimate bad-asses and silk robes complemented the armour you can see to the left. The army was must have been a magnificent sight and looking good was part of their code of chivalry (war is a dirty business so I'm not sure how much difference the silk and aftershave they wore made to the victims).
24 August, 1516, the Ottoman army led by Selim the Grim . Without getting in to any detail other than to say the Ottomans had already defeated the Byzantine Empire (Turkey) and were also fighting Persia (Iran), the Mamluks were ounumbered by three to one, plus the Ottoman's had infantry armed with muskets. The Ottoman's had no interest in gaining honour through hand-to-hand combat, they justed wanted the spoils. Not much has changed since.
The Mamluks were shot to pieces and the Ottomans became the new masters of Syria.
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| Artist Peter Dennis's depiction of Ottoman infantry. |
Selim the Grim publicly hanged sultan Tumanbay (who was allegedly betrayed by Bedouin tribesmen - not sure what that means in the scheme of things). He returned to Istanbul with Syria, Egypt and the Hijaz (the birthplace of Islam) under his belt. For the first time since the birth of Islam the Arab world was ruled from a non-Arab capital, a 'political reality that would prove one of the defining features of modern Arab history'. However, most Arabs (i.e. Sunni Muslims) were more concerned with law and order and fair taxes to care where the capital was. No one relly missed the Mamluks in Syria because the Ottomans were fairer rulers. Because so much of their newly acquired territory was miles away the status quo didn't change much so long as taxes were paid.
Aleppo went on to become the great trade centres of Asia and the Mediterranean.
