Book dossier

Cairo of the Mamluks

by Doris Behrens-Abouseif

"Cairo of the Mamluks was 'a city beyond imagination', wrote the Arab philosopher Ibn Khaldun. The Mamluk sultans entered history as military slaves recruited by the last Ayyubid sultan of Egypt, and took advantage of the mid-thirteenth century power vacuum to establish themselves as rulers. They designed their capital to be the heart of the Muslim world. It became the focus of their enormous patronage of art and architecture, the stage for their ceremonial rituals, and a memorial to their achievements. This history of Mamluk architecture examines the monuments of the Mamluks in their social, political and urban context during the period of their rule between 1250 and 1517. The book displays the multiple facets of Mamluk patronage, and also provides a succinct discussion of sixty monuments in Cairo. This is a richly illustrated volume with colour photograhps, plans and isometric drawings." "The unique strength of Doris Behrens-Abouseif's work lies in its scholarly yet engaging presentation of original material diligently researched in the waqf (religious endowments) archives, including architectural plans and personal endowment records. It presents a wealth of material, much of it never before published. As such it will form an essential reference work for scholars and students of the art and architecture of the Islamic world as well as art historians and historians of late medieval Islamic history."--Jacket.