''Sirat al-Zahir Baibars'' (), also known as ''al-Sirah al-Zahiriya'', is a long Egyptian
folkloric
Folklore is shared by a particular group of people; it encompasses the traditions common to that culture, subculture or group. This includes oral traditions such as tales, legends, proverbs and jokes. They include material culture, ranging fro ...
epic poem
An epic poem, or simply an epic, is a lengthy narrative poem typically about the extraordinary deeds of extraordinary characters who, in dealings with gods or other superhuman forces, gave shape to the mortal universe for their descendants.
...
that narrates the life and heroic achievements of the Mamluk Sultan
al-Zahir Baibars al-Bunduqdari.
Literary features
The poem features romantic images of gallant cavaliers, soldiers and explorers. For example, in telling the tale of the Syrian
Ismailis of the
Mamluk
Mamluk ( ar, مملوك, mamlūk (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural), translated as "one who is owned", meaning " slave", also transliterated as ''Mameluke'', ''mamluq'', ''mamluke'', ''mameluk'', ''mameluke'', ''mamaluke'', or ''marmeluke'') ...
period the Banu Isma’il, descendants of
‘Ali, are depicted as the archetype of honor and justice. Female members of the community such as Shamsa also feature in the Mamluk tale. Here, the Banu Isma’il is charged with special tasks such as saving Baybars from captivity by Genoese pirates.
[Virani, Shafique N. The Ismailis in the Middle Ages: A History of Survival, A Search for Salvation (New York: Oxford University Press), 2007, p. 106.]
See also
*
Baibars al-Bunduqdari
References
Further reading
* ''Sirat al-Zahir Baibars'', Printed by Mustafa al-Saba, Cairo 1923.
* Idem Republished in 5 volumes by Alhay'ah Almisriyah, Editor
Gamal El-Ghitani
Gamal al-Ghitani, ( ar, جمال الغيطانى, ; 9 May 1945 – 18 October 2015) was an Egyptian author of historical and political novels and cultural and political commentaries and was the editor-in-chief of the literary periodical ''Akhb ...
, Cairo 1996. {{ISBN, 977-01-4642-0
* Alzahir Baibars, Dar Almaref, Cairo 1986.
*
Gamal El-Ghitani
Gamal al-Ghitani, ( ar, جمال الغيطانى, ; 9 May 1945 – 18 October 2015) was an Egyptian author of historical and political novels and cultural and political commentaries and was the editor-in-chief of the literary periodical ''Akhb ...
, Sirat Alzahir Baibars 1996.
* Al-Maqrizi, Al Selouk Leme'refatt Dewall al-Melouk, Dar al-kotob, 1997.
* Idem in English: Bohn, Henry G., The Road to Knowledge of the Return of Kings, Chronicles of the Crusades, AMS Press, 1969.
* Sadawi. H, Al-Mamalik, Maruf Ikhwan, Alexandria.
* The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Macropædia, H.H. Berton Publisher,1973-1974.
* Culture Encyclopedia, Kitab alshab, Cairo 1972.
Medieval Arabic literature
History of literature in Egypt
Epic poems in Arabic
Egyptian folklore