Book: Siyar A'lam An-Nubala by Ad-Dhahabi - سير أعلام النبلاء ـ الإمام الذهبي

Conquests and Strategies of the Mamluks in Syria

The Ismailis in the Levant faced conquest one fortress after the other until their power in the region ended. The Sultan granted them, in place of their Syrian strongholds, some territories in Egypt to reside in.

The Strategic Importance of Syria

During the Mamluk era, Syria was not merely a province of the state; it was far more significant. It constituted the right wing of the Mamluk state, without which it would be impossible for the Mamluks to maintain their entity, balance, and resilience in the face of massive Asiatic threats. These threats sometimes originated from the Ayyubids, the Tatars, and the Crusaders, and at other times from the Armenians, the Turkmen, and later, the Ottomans.

Thus, from the establishment of their state in Egypt, the Mamluk sultans understood that neither they nor their state could survive without unifying Syria and Egypt under their rule. This unity ensured the oversight of various currents that could potentially affect their existence [1].

The Rise of Mamluk Power

The Mamluk state, which arose in Egypt and Syria in the year 1250 CE, proved itself to be the most formidable contemporary power in the Arab homeland from the ocean to the Gulf. The rulers and peoples of Islamic and Arab countries regarded it with admiration and respect, while other forces—outside the Arab and Islamic realms—viewed it with fear and reverence. It suffices to highlight that the Mamluk state bravely and valiantly confronted external threats that endangered the Arab world in the east, protecting Syria and Egypt from the Tatar menace and completely expelling the Crusaders from Syrian lands. Moreover, they pursued the Crusaders in nearby strongholds, such as Lesser Armenia, Cyprus, and Rhodes. Additionally, the success of the Mamluk sultans in reviving the Abbasid Caliphate in Egypt after its fall in Baghdad elevated their status and that of their state in the entire Islamic world. This portrayal made them appear as the genuine leaders of the entire Islamic world by being the protectors of the Caliphate, thus enjoying its allegiance [2].

The Flourishing of Scientific Activity

This was the political reality of that time in Syria and Egypt. Without a doubt, scientific activity flourished during the Mamluk period, and some of the sultans encouraged science and scholars. Ibn Taghri Bardi described Sultan al-Zahir Baybars as someone who had an exceptional inclination towards history and its people, stating, "Hearing history is greater than experiences" [3].