Burjiyya dynasty

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The Burjiyya Dynasty ( Arabic المماليك البرجية al-Mamālīk al-Burdschiyya , DMG al-mamālīk al-burǧīya , also Burji-Mamluken , derived from Arabic برج, DMG burǧ  'tower') represented the sultans of the Circassian Mamluks in Egypt from 1382 to 1517 . In contrast to the Bahri dynasty, the Burjiyya dynasty in Egypt was characterized by the fact that the Mamluk sultans were primarily provided by Circassians from the Caucasus region and the Mamluk emirs had considerable influence on the government.

history

With the government of Barquq (1382-1399) the long period of peace of the empire ended when Timur Lenk conquered Persia and Iraq and also attacked Syria . Since the alliance with the Ottomans had been abandoned under Faraj (1399–1412) , Timur was able to conquer and plunder Aleppo , Hama , Homs and Damascus in Syria before attacking the Ottomans in Anatolia .

There was no invasion of Egypt, but the economy of the empire was badly shattered. Bonds had to be taken out to finance the army and the currency had to be devalued. Then there were crop failures, famines, plague epidemics and Bedouin incursions . Economic power was also severely weakened by the decline in the population and the desertification of entire regions. In addition, there were power struggles between the Turkish and Circassian Mamluks.

Barsbay (1422–1438) tried to counteract the economic crisis by forming state monopolies in the spice trade and sugar production. However, these, as well as special taxes and confiscations, intensified the economic crisis. Nevertheless, the Mamluk Empire was still strong enough to conquer Cyprus in 1425 .

Under Sultan Qait Bay (1468–1496) there was again a cultural boom and lively construction activity in Cairo . However, the Ottoman threat made itself increasingly noticeable. Cilicia could be maintained in the first war with the Ottomans (1485–1490) , but the Mamluks refused to equip them with “improper” firearms in the period that followed. The Ottomans under Selim I were able to defeat the technologically inferior Mamluks at Aleppo and Cairo in 1516/1517 and conquer the Mamluks. (See: Ottoman rule in Egypt and Ibn Zunbul )

Ruler

literature

  • Ulrich Haarmann: History of the Arab World. CH Beck, Munich 2001.