Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE

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Circassians, Mamlūk
(946 words)

The second period of the Mamlūk Sultanate in Egypt and Syria (784–922/1382–1517) was called by contemporary historians the “regime of the Circassians” (Ar. dawlat al-jarākisa) or the “Tower” (burj), in reference to the Citadel barracks in Cairo, where they were initially stationed. Adolescents brought from the Circassian region (bilād al-jarkas) of the Caucasus for training as cadets for military service appear occasionally in the first, or Turkish Baḥrī, period of the sultanate (648–784/1250–1382). They became a salient component of the military…

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Petry, Carl Forbes, “Circassians, Mamlūk”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Devin J. Stewart. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1573-3912_ei3_COM_24404>
First published online: 2012
First print edition: 9789004225459, 2012, 2012-3



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