Practising diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate : gifts and material culture in the medieval Islamic world
Author(s)
Bibliographic Information
Practising diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate : gifts and material culture in the medieval Islamic world
（Library of Middle East history, 44）
I.B. Tauris, 2014
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Note
Bibliography: p. [211]-226
Includes index
Description and Table of Contents
Description
Elaborate and sensational gifts were the hallmark of Mamluk diplomacy. In firm control of the medieval spice trade as well as the holy sites of Christianity and Islam, the Sultanate's capital at Cairo became a diplomatic crossroads in the medieval world and the seat of a new Islamic caliphate. Already victorious over both the Crusaders and the Mongols, their military success and lavish religious patronage were not enough to ensure the dynasty's prestige: the Mamluk Sultans were often reminded of their slave origins, impugned by rivals as 'pagans' recruited to faith and service by purchase. In response, the sultans staged brilliant performances in Cairo and dispatched carefully designed diplomatic gifts all over the medieval world. These marvellous displays were the crowning ornament of Mamluk legitimacy, celebrated from Europe to the Far East. Drawing on extensive primary sources and fieldwork in museums across the world, Doris Behrens-Abouseif is the first to treat this important subject in depth and here reveals an unexplored aspect of Middle Eastern material culture.
Composed of spectacular elements such as spices, exotic animals, Chinese porcelain, ceremonial textiles and military and equestrian objects - not to mention humans, either living or as severed heads - the regal offering varied in combination and emphasis according to the status and circumstances of giver and receiver, but always created a sensation. Acknowledging the established historical precedents of diplomacy and regal gift-giving, the author examines the nuance of cultural and political realities in period diplomacy as well as the transmission of encrypted messages, illuminating the subtle conveyance of self-representation and identity in medieval Cairo and the world beyond. With ground-breaking new research, this book - richly illustrated in colour - provides a comprehensive view of the art and politics of the Mamluk diplomatic gift, by which these sultans of humble origins created a magnificent image of themselves in the courts of their Muslim rivals and allies worldwide. It will prove essential reading for both students and scholars.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations (with copyright credit) Acknowledgement Note to the Reader Introduction PART ONE: THE CULTURE OF GIFTS I. The World of the Mamluks II. Protocol and Codes of Gift Exchange Diplomatic Hospitality and Safety The Meaning of Diplomatic Gifts Monetary Value of Gifts Recycled, Used and Requested gifts PART TWO: GIFTS IN GEO-POLITICAL CONTEXTS III. The Red Sea and Indian Ocean Connection Yemen India IV. Africa Ethiopia Nubia The Maghrib West Africa (Mali and Borno) V) The Black Sea, Anatolia, Iran, Central Asia The Golden Horde at the Black Sea The Ilkhanids and the Jalayirids in Iran and Iraq The Timurids in Central Asia The Turkmens Qara Qoyunlu Aq Qoyunlu Dhul Qadir The Safavids The Ottomans VI Europe Castile and Aragon The Cyprus Connection Venice Florence PART THREE: THE GIFTS VII Tradition and Legacy Traditional Diplomatic Gifts in the Middle-East and the Muslim World The Fatimid and Ayyubid Legacies VIII From and for the Mamluks Gifts for the Mamluks The Mamluk Assortment of Diplomatic Gifts Spices and porcelain Mamluks and Craftsmen Giraffes, Elephants and other Animals Balsam, Theriac and other Local Products Religious Gifts Textiles Material Witnesses of Mamluk Diplomatic Textiles The Knight's Outfit Material Witnesses of Mamluk Military and Equestrian Gifts IX Gifts and Mamluk Identity Export Iconography of Mamluk Gifts Conclusion
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