Abstract
The Qalāwūnid Mamluk dynasty, which ruled Egypt and much of Syria from the late 13th century AD/7th century AH to the late 14th century AD/ 8th century AH, is often remembered for its extensive building campaign in its capital of Cairo, with many of its constructions being seen as symbols of the Mamluk Sultanate and the medieval Islamic period in Egypt as a whole. However, the architectural and artistic features of these buildings also reveal the intentions of the Mamluk political project, particularly the placement and imagination of the sultan. This project seeks to highlight and understand these features and how they presented the sultan as a mujahid, a holy warrior of Islam, and defender of the faith. The primary focus of this study is the three most prominent monuments of the early Qalāwūnid period in central Cairo: The Qalāwūn Complex, the Mausoleum of al-Ashraf Khalil, and the Al-Nasir Muhammad Ibn Qalāwūn Mosque and Madrasa. Using inscriptions and architectural features from these buildings, including spolia from captured Crusader cities, this study discerns the imagery associated with the sultan to present him as a mujāhid, and the methods and techniques used to achieve that result. Moreover, by placing these architectural features within the scope of the Mamluk political project, this study discerns their role in the Sultanate’s push for legitimacy. Mamluk-sponsored writings and other legal and theological documents, most prominently fatwas, religious treatises, and even large histories, are analyzed, particularly the way these documents discuss and frame the sultan, including the traits assigned to him and the action he undertakes. By combining these two features of the Qalāwūnid dynasty, this project creates a link between architectural and literary studies, two long-separated fields in Mamluk history, and present a more complete picture of the early Mamluk political project and legitimacy initiatives.
