The Epic of the Mamluks

About this book

Mostafa Ali El-Feki traces the Mamluks from the uprooting and enslavement of childhood to military power and rule, exploring the people behind their armor. The book follows their confrontation with Mongol and Crusader forces alongside questions of belonging, justice, and the exercise of power. Cairo emerges through its streets, markets, mosques, and citadel, where everyday life meets fear, conspiracy, and betrayal. Moving through the eras of Qutuz, Baybars, al-Nasir, and Qaitbay to the gallows at Bab Zuweila, the narrative reflects on the Mamluks’ fall and the legacy that remains in the city’s buildings and memory.