Barsbay
Encyclopedia
Al-Ashraf Sayf-ad-Din Barsbay was the ninth Burji
Mamluk
sultan of Egypt
from AD 1422 to 1438. He was Circassian by birth and a former slave of the first Burji Sultan, Barquq.
He was responsible for a number of administrative reforms in the Mamluk state, including the consolidation of the sultanate as a military magistrature and securing for Egypt exclusive rights over the Red Sea
trade between Yemen
and Europe.
His Red Sea activity included the final destruction in 1426 of ‘Aydhab
, a once important port which had been in decline in the previous century.
His mausoleum, which included a madrasa and khanqah
, was built in Cairo's Northern Cemetery, and has survived to this day.
Burji dynasty
The Burji dynasty المماليك البرجية ruled Egypt from 1382 until 1517. It proved especially turbulent, with short-lived sultans. Political power-plays often became important in designating a new sultan. During this time Mamluks fought Timur Lenk and conquered Cyprus. Constant bickering may have...
Mamluk
Mamluk
A Mamluk was a soldier of slave origin, who were predominantly Cumans/Kipchaks The "mamluk phenomenon", as David Ayalon dubbed the creation of the specific warrior...
sultan of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
from AD 1422 to 1438. He was Circassian by birth and a former slave of the first Burji Sultan, Barquq.
He was responsible for a number of administrative reforms in the Mamluk state, including the consolidation of the sultanate as a military magistrature and securing for Egypt exclusive rights over the Red Sea
Red Sea
The Red Sea is a seawater inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. The connection to the ocean is in the south through the Bab el Mandeb strait and the Gulf of Aden. In the north, there is the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and the Gulf of Suez...
trade between Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
and Europe.
His Red Sea activity included the final destruction in 1426 of ‘Aydhab
‘Aydhab
‘Aydhab was an important medieval port on the west coast of the Red Sea. The abandoned site of the town is located in the disputed Hala'ib triangle.- History :...
, a once important port which had been in decline in the previous century.
His mausoleum, which included a madrasa and khanqah
Khanqah
A Khanqah, Khaniqah , ribat, zawiya, or tekke is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood, or tariqa, and is a place for spiritual retreat and character reformation...
, was built in Cairo's Northern Cemetery, and has survived to this day.
Sources
- D. Behrens-Abouseif, Islamic architecture in Cairo: an introduction (Leiden, 1989).
- J.-C. Garcin, "The regime of the Circassian Mamluks," in C. Petry, ed., The Cambridge History of Egypt, Volume I: Islamic Egypt, 640-1517 (Cambridge, 1998), 290-317.