ISLAMIC LEGITIMIZATION OF THE REIGN OF THE MAMLUKS KIPCHAKS IN EGYPT

Abstract

The Mamluks, under the leadership of Sultan Baybars, were able to legitimize their authority. They sought to keep influential sheikhs under control, placing the non-military sphere under the control of local religious figures. Sultan Baybars restored the Islamic caliphate in Cairo in 1261, demonstrating the power of the Kipchak not only in Egypt but throughout the Islamic world. Moreover, the Mamluks' struggle against the Crusaders and the Ilkhanate Empire elevated their prestige among Muslims. The Kipchak sought to give the state a more Turkish character. They revived relations with the Desht-i Kipchak and remained loyal followers of the military traditions of the Great Steppe, their native language. Two ships annually brought Kipchak boys and girls from the Crimean Peninsula to Egypt. Turkish horses, golden eagles, saluki dogs, and double-humped camels were also brought.
During the Mamluk period in Kipchak, Cairo became the capital of the empire, and the equal status of the four Islamic madhhabs (schools of thought) led to a demand for experts and scholars in every field. Scholars and sheikhs from Turkestan began to flock to Cairo.