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Mameluke
Mameluke (from Arabic mamluk, ‘possessed’ or ‘slave’) Name of two Egyptian dynasties. Mamelukes or slave soldiers were a distinctive feature of Islamic armies from the 9th century. Captured in childhood, they were trained in every branch of warfare and had an exacting academic education. Turkish and Mongol slaves were bodyguards of the Ayyubid sultan al-Salih (1240–49). On his death a popular power struggle developed and the Bahri mameluke generals elected one of their number as sultan al-Malik al Muizz. In 1291 the last Franks were driven from Egypt. The Turkish Bahri sultans recruited Burji slaves as bodyguards, stationing them in Cairo's citadel. These were chiefly Circassian (from the Caucasus). In 1390 they too usurped the sultanate under al-Malik an-Nasir. The Burji ruled until 1517. Mameluke rule extended over Egypt and Syria (including the present Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, and western Arabia). There was an elaborate court, and a highly organized civil service and judiciary. Active encouragement of trade and commerce brought great prosperity throughout their dominions, as is witnessed by the splendid monuments which they built in Cairo and elsewhere. Their external trade reached across Africa as far as Mali and Guinea, and throughout the Indian Ocean as far as Java. In 1517 the Ottoman Turks captured Cairo and overthrew the Mamelukes. As Turkish power waned they re-established themselves as rulers. NAPOLEON defeated them in 1798 and they were brought down by Muhammad Ali in 1811.
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"Mameluke." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Mameluke." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Mameluke.html "Mameluke." A Dictionary of World History. 2000. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O48-Mameluke.html |
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Mameluke
Mameluke a member of a regime that formerly ruled parts of the Middle East. Descended from slaves brought from the Caucasus and central Asia as bodyguards by the caliphs and sultans of Egypt, they ruled Syria (1260–1516) and Egypt (1250–1517), and continued as a ruling military caste in Ottoman Egypt until massacred by the viceroy Muhammad Ali in 1811.
The name comes from French mameluk, from Arabic mamlūk (passive participle used as a noun meaning ‘slave’), from malaka ‘possess’. |
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ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Mameluke." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Mameluke." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Mameluke.html ELIZABETH KNOWLES. "Mameluke." The Oxford Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 2006. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O214-Mameluke.html |
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Mameluke
Mameluke one of the military body, orig. Caucasian slaves, that ruled Egypt 1254–1811. XVI. — F. mameluk (OF. mamelus), It. mammalucco, Sp., Pg. mameluco, medL. mameluc, -uchus — Arab. mamlūk slave, sb. use of pp. of malaka possess.
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T. F. HOAD. "Mameluke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. T. F. HOAD. "Mameluke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Mameluke.html T. F. HOAD. "Mameluke." The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology. 1996. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O27-Mameluke.html |
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Mameluke
Mameluke see Mamluk . |
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Cite this article
"Mameluke." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. 10 Feb. 2012 <http://www.encyclopedia.com>. "Mameluke." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Encyclopedia.com. (February 10, 2012). http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Mameluke.html "Mameluke." The Columbia Encyclopedia, 6th ed.. 2008. Retrieved February 10, 2012 from Encyclopedia.com: http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1E1-X-Mameluke.html |
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