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Sayf al-Din Salar al-Mansuri (, September or October 1310) was the viceroy of the
Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
sultan
al-Nasir Muhammad Al-Malik an-Nasir Nasir ad-Din Muhammad ibn Qalawun (), commonly known as an-Nasir Muhammad (), or by his kunya: Abu al-Ma'ali () or as Ibn Qalawun (1285–1341) was the ninth Mamluk sultan of the Bahri dynasty who ruled Egypt between 129 ...
during the latter's second reign (1299–1310). As a boy he was taken captive at the Battle of Elbistan in 1277 and became a
mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
(slave soldier) of the emir al-Salih Ali and eleven years later by the latter's father Sultan
Qalawun (, – November 10, 1290) was the seventh Turkic Bahri Mamluk sultan of Egypt; he ruled from 1279 to 1290. He was called (, "Qalāwūn the Victorious"). After having risen in power in the Mamluk court and elite circles, Qalawun eventually hel ...
. Salar distinguished himself in his training as a skilled horseman among other mamluks of the Mansuriyya faction (mamluks of Qalawun). He was promoted to the rank of ''ustadar'' (
majordomo A majordomo () is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a larg ...
) by his friend, Sultan
Lajin Lajin (), full royal name al-Malik al-Mansur Hussam al-Din Lajin al-Mansuri (; d. January 16, 1299, Cairo) was a Mamluk sultan of Egypt from 1296 to 1299. Early career Lajin was initially a '' mamluk'' of Al-Mansur Ali, then he was bought by ...
in 1299. After participating in Lajin's assassination later that year he effectively became the strongman of the sultanate alongside Baybars al-Jashankir. Despite tensions and incidents between their respective factions, Salar and Baybars avoided direct conflict throughout their power-sharing arrangement. Salar continued as viceroy when Baybars acceded as sultan in 1309 after al-Nasir Muhammad stepped down and exiled himself. After Baybars was deposed in 1310, al-Nasir Muhammad returned to power and Salar was consequently imprisoned and starved to death. His sons and grandsons became middle-ranking emirs of al-Nasir Muhammad and his successors.


Early life

Salar was an ethnic Oirat
Mongol Mongols are an East Asian ethnic group native to Mongolia, China (Inner Mongolia and other 11 autonomous territories), as well as the republics of Buryatia and Kalmykia in Russia. The Mongols are the principal member of the large family of M ...
. He was taken captive, likely between the ages of ten and fifteen, during the Battle of Elbistan in
Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...
, where the
Mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
s routed the Mongol
Ilkhanate The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...
in 1277. His father had been a senior Ilkhanid emir in Anatolia. He thereafter became a
mamluk Mamluk or Mamaluk (; (singular), , ''mamālīk'' (plural); translated as "one who is owned", meaning "slave") were non-Arab, ethnically diverse (mostly Turkic, Caucasian, Eastern and Southeastern European) enslaved mercenaries, slave-so ...
(slave soldier) of al-Salih Ali, the son Sultan
Qalawun (, – November 10, 1290) was the seventh Turkic Bahri Mamluk sultan of Egypt; he ruled from 1279 to 1290. He was called (, "Qalāwūn the Victorious"). After having risen in power in the Mamluk court and elite circles, Qalawun eventually hel ...
. Following al-Salih Ali's death in 1288, Salar was transferred to the ownership of Qalawun. From the time of his ownership by al-Salih Ali and through Qalawun's sultanate, he likely lived and trained with the Sultan's elite ''mamluk'' corps, the Mansuriyya. He was a skilled horseman and had achieved the rank of ''amir ashara'' (commander of ten mamluks) in the same year he was transferred to Qalawun.


Viceroy

During the reign of
Lajin Lajin (), full royal name al-Malik al-Mansur Hussam al-Din Lajin al-Mansuri (; d. January 16, 1299, Cairo) was a Mamluk sultan of Egypt from 1296 to 1299. Early career Lajin was initially a '' mamluk'' of Al-Mansur Ali, then he was bought by ...
(), with whom Salar had a close friendship, Salar first attained prominence as the Sultan's ''ustadar'' (
majordomo A majordomo () is a person who speaks, makes arrangements, or takes charge for another. Typically, this is the highest (''major'') person of a household (''domūs'' or ''domicile'') staff, a head servant who acts on behalf of the owner of a larg ...
). Nonetheless, Salar participated in Lajin's assassination and the subsequent installation of Qalawun's young son
al-Nasir Muhammad Al-Malik an-Nasir Nasir ad-Din Muhammad ibn Qalawun (), commonly known as an-Nasir Muhammad (), or by his kunya: Abu al-Ma'ali () or as Ibn Qalawun (1285–1341) was the ninth Mamluk sultan of the Bahri dynasty who ruled Egypt between 129 ...
as sultan in 1299. Later, in September of that year, Salar also helped suppress a mutiny by an Oirat contingent in the Mamluk army in
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
whose aim has been to reinstall the Oirat Kitbugha as sultan. The Oirats had collaborated with disaffected members of the Royal Mamluks and attempted to assassinate Salar at Tell al-Ajjul near Gaza. During the second reign of al-Nasir, eight mamluks of the Mansuriyya, including Salar, wielded actual power. He held the official role of ''na'ib al-saltana'' (viceroy) and was one of the two most powerful leaders of the sultanate alongside Baybars al-Jashnakir. Salar and Baybars arranged for a relatively small payment to the Sultan while they divided most state matters between themselves. According to the 14th-century historian
al-Maqrizi Al-Maqrīzī (, full name Taqī al-Dīn Abū al-'Abbās Aḥmad ibn 'Alī ibn 'Abd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad al-Maqrīzī, ; 1364–1442) was a medieval Egyptian historian and biographer during the Mamluk era, known for his interest in the Fat ...
, Salar and Baybars would assemble the leading mamluks and officials in front of the Sultan twice weekly where "Salar presented to him whatever he wanted, consulted about it with the amirs and said: 'the sultan ordered so and so' and he l-Nasir Muhammadsigned it". Salar and Baybars largely avoided conflict with each other, aware of the potentially fatal repercussions for either should factional strife occur. The Sultan often attempted to foster such strife between them and their respective supporters. Salar's 'Turkish' faction was composed of most of the Mansuriyya and the remnants of the older Salihiyya mamluks, while Baybars was backed by the largely Circassian Burjiyya mamluks, the more numerous and stronger faction within the Mansuriyya. Salar had established marital ties with the family of Qalawun in 1299 when he married off his daughter to Musa ibn al-Salih Ali ibn Qalawun. In 1304 they consummated the marriage and in the following year, Salar brought his mother and two brothers, Juba and Dawud, to Egypt, along with around 200 other Oirats. Salar's other brothers Adam, Mughultay, Lajin and Samuk, were already established in Egypt. Salar soon after promoted his relatives and associates, awarding emirates to his brothers, his son-in-law Musa, and his friend
Sanjar al-Jawli Sanjar (, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (6 November 1086 – 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118,Upper Egypt Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...
for their persistent defiance of Mamluk authority. The Bedouin had long evaded taxes, taxed the merchants of
Asyut AsyutAlso spelled ''Assiout'' or ''Assiut''. ( ' ) is the capital of the modern Asyut Governorate in Egypt. It was built close to the ancient city of the same name, which is situated nearby. The modern city is located at , while the ancient city i ...
and Manfalut, and ignored the orders of the local governors. The Bedouin were taken by surprise and numerous tribesmen were slain or taken captive. Despite the heavy toll inflicted, the tribal revolts remained a persistent problem throughout Mamluk rule.


Confrontation with the sultan

In late 1307 or early 1308, al-Nasir Muhammad and his Royal Mamluks attempted to assassinate Salar and Baybars in their homes. The emirs' gained knowledge of the plot and secured the secret defection of the sultan's leading hitman, the emir Baktamur. Salar then sent his brother Samuk to besiege the sultan and his mamluks, eventually compelling al-Nasir Muhammad to reach an agreement with Salar. The sultan remained in Cairo but with heavy restrictions on his movements and budget. As a result, he escaped to the desert fortress of
al-Karak Al-Karak (), in English sources often simply Karak, is a city in Jordan known for its medieval castle, the Kerak Castle. The castle is one of the three largest castles in the region, the other two being in Syria. Al-Karak is the capital city of ...
in Transjordan in 1309 where he renounced his sultanate. In the consultations among the senior emirs to elect a new sultan, Salar was initially the leading candidate, having served as viceroy for the preceding decade and having the support of the older Mansuri emirs. Nonetheless, the stronger Burjiyya faction favored Baybars for the sultanate, and Salar lent his backing. In the ensuing reign of Baybars, Salar remained viceroy.


Downfall

Al-Nasir Muhammad regained power in March 1310 and soon after moved against his opponents among the Mansuriyya, including Salar. The latter had publicly expressed his full support for the Sultan following the exile of Baybars al-Jashnakir. At the time, Salar was in command of the
Cairo Citadel The Citadel of Cairo or Citadel of Saladin () is a medieval Islamic-era fortification in Cairo, Egypt, built by Salah ad-Din (Saladin) and further developed by subsequent Egyptian rulers. It was the seat of government in Egypt and the residenc ...
. When the Sultan arrived in Cairo, Salar offered him numerous horses, slaves and precious fabrics to appease him. As Salar felt vulnerable in Cairo, capital of the Sutlanate, he requested and received from al-Nasir Muhammad a reassignment to the Shawbak fortress in the desert of Transjordan. The Sultan also promoted him to the rank of emir of one hundred ''mamluk'' cavalries. After al-Nasir Muhammad executed Baybars al-Jashnakir in April, he arrested twenty of Salar's close associates, including three of his brothers Samuk, Juba and Dawud. Salar refused summons to Cairo, but agreed after being persuaded by his friend
Sanjar al-Jawli Sanjar (, ; full name: ''Muizz ad-Dunya wa ad-Din Adud ad-Dawlah Abul-Harith Ahmad Sanjar ibn Malik-Shah'') (6 November 1086 – 8 May 1157) was the Seljuq ruler of Khorasan from 1097 until 1118,khanqah A Sufi lodge is a building designed specifically for gatherings of a Sufi brotherhood or ''tariqa'' and is a place for spiritual practice and religious education. They include structures also known as ''khānaqāh'', ''zāwiya'', ''ribāṭ'' ...
'' (
Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
lodge) and
madrasa Madrasa (, also , ; Arabic: مدرسة , ), sometimes Romanization of Arabic, romanized as madrasah or madrassa, is the Arabic word for any Educational institution, type of educational institution, secular or religious (of any religion), whet ...
.


Descendants

Salar's son Ali was appointed an ''amir ashara'' by al-Nasir Muhammad and was promoted to ''amir tablkhanah'' (commander of forty mamluks). He was recorded as in emir in Egypt in 1338 and died four years later. His position was inherited by his son Khalil (d. 1368), who was also the supervisor of Salar's ''awqaf'' (religious endowments). Salar's son Nasir was already an emir of ten by the start of al-Nasir Muhammad's reign. Another son of Salar, Sayf al-Din Abu Bakr, was an emir and his son Musa (d. 1395) was an emir of ten and held the position of ''amir tabar'' (head of the ax-bearers).


Architectural legacy

Salar restored the ''
mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "''qibla'' wall". ...
'' (prayer niche) of the
al-Azhar Mosque Al-Azhar Mosque (), known in Egypt simply as al-Azhar, is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt in the historic Islamic core of the city. Commissioned as the new capital of the Fatimid Caliphate in 970, it was the first mosque established in a city that ...
in Cairo and changed the decoration of its
spandrel A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame, between the tops of two adjacent arches, or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fil ...
s following damage from an earthquake in 1303. In the
Fustat Fustat (), also Fostat, was the first capital of Egypt under Muslim rule, though it has been integrated into Cairo. It was built adjacent to what is now known as Old Cairo by the Rashidun Muslim general 'Amr ibn al-'As immediately after the Mus ...
district he built a ''mihrab'' on the outside of the
Mosque of Amr ibn al-As The Amr ibn al-As Mosque () is a mosque in Cairo, Egypt. Named after the Arab Muslim commander Amr ibn al-As, the mosque was originally built in 641–642 CE as the center of the newly founded capital of Egypt, Fustat. The original structure ...
, the oldest mosque in Egypt. The ''mihrab'' is no longer extant, but could be seen in older photographs of the mosque. Both ''mihrabs'' were designed with multiple rows of niches inlaid with geometric patterns and
arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...
s. In
Palestine Palestine, officially the State of Palestine, is a country in West Asia. Recognized by International recognition of Palestine, 147 of the UN's 193 member states, it encompasses the Israeli-occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and th ...
Salar built the Great Mosque of Majdal Asqalan (in modern
Ashkelon Ashkelon ( ; , ; ) or Ashqelon, is a coastal city in the Southern District (Israel), Southern District of Israel on the Mediterranean Sea, Mediterranean coast, south of Tel Aviv, and north of the border with the Gaza Strip. The modern city i ...
) and the minaret of the Sheikh Ali al-Bakka Mosque in
Hebron Hebron (; , or ; , ) is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem. Hebron is capital of the Hebron Governorate, the largest Governorates of Palestine, governorate in the West Bank. With a population of 201,063 in ...
. He is credited by an inscription for building the ''khan'' (caravanserai) near
Beisan Beit She'an ( '), also known as Beisan ( '), or Beth-shean, is a town in the Northern District of Israel. The town lies at the Beit She'an Valley about 120 m (394 feet) below sea level. Beit She'an is believed to be one of the oldest citie ...
called Khan al-Hamra or Khan al-Ahmar (both mean "the Red Khan"). The Mamluk historian
al-Maqrizi Al-Maqrīzī (, full name Taqī al-Dīn Abū al-'Abbās Aḥmad ibn 'Alī ibn 'Abd al-Qādir ibn Muḥammad al-Maqrīzī, ; 1364–1442) was a medieval Egyptian historian and biographer during the Mamluk era, known for his interest in the Fat ...
wrote that the ''khan'' was built by Sanjar al-Jawli for Salar.


References


Bibliography

* * * * * *{{cite journal , last1=Yosef , first1=Kobe , title=Mamluks and Their Relatives in the Period of the Mamluk Sultanate (1260-1517) , journal=Mamluk Studies Review , date=2012 , volume=16 , pages=55–69 1260s births 1310 deaths 14th-century regents Bahri dynasty Mamluk emirs Regents of Egypt Mongol Mamluks People who died in prison custody