Sayf ad-Din Taynal an-Nasiri al-Ashrafi (d. 1343) was a prominent ''emir'' and ''

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 ...

'' of

an-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 12 ...

, the

Bahri Mamluk The Bahri Mamluks (), sometimes referred to as the Bahri dynasty, were the rulers of the Mamluk Sultanate of Egypt from 1250 to 1382, following the Ayyubid dynasty. The members of the Mamluk ruling class were purchased as slaves (mamluks) and manu ...

sultan of

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

. He served as the ''

Na'ib Nawab is a royal title indicating a ruler, often of a South Asian state, in many ways comparable to the Western title of Prince. The relationship of a Nawab to the Emperor of India has been compared to that of the Kings of Saxony to the Ge ...

'' of

Tripoli Tripoli or Tripolis (from , meaning "three cities") may refer to: Places Greece *Tripolis (region of Arcadia), a district in ancient Arcadia, Greece * Tripolis (Larisaia), an ancient Greek city in the Pelasgiotis district, Thessaly, near Larissa ...

for three terms, and Gaza for one term, in the mid-14th-century during the reign of al-Nasir Muhammad. He ordered the construction of the large Taynal Mosque in Tripoli in 1336.Taynal Mosque
. Archnet Digital Library.

Early life

According to historian

as-Safadi Khalīl ibn Aybak al-Ṣafadī, or Ṣalaḥ al-Dīn al-Ṣafadī (; full name - Ṣalaḥ al-Dīn Abū al-Ṣafa Khalīl ibn Aybak ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Albakī al-Ṣafari al-Damascī Shafi'i. (1296 – 1363) was a Turkic peoples, Turkic Mamluk a ...

, Taynal was a ''mamluk'' of

al-Ashraf Khalil Al-Malik Al-Ashraf Salāh ad-Dīn Khalil ibn Qalawūn (; c. 1260s – 14 December 1293) was the eighth Turkic Bahri dynasty, Bahri Mamluk Sultanate, Mamluk sultan, succeeding his father Qalawun. He served from 12 November 1290 until his assassi ...

, while 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 ...

writes that Taynal's allegiance was to an-Nasir Muhammad. His full title includes both '' nisbahs'' "al-Ashrafi" and "an-Nasiri."

Governor of Tripoli and Gaza

On 9 May 1326 Taynal replaced Qaratay as ''Na'ib'' ("governor") of Mamlakat Tarabulus (Tripoli Province) after being appointed by

Tankiz Sayf ad-Din Tankiz ibn Abdullah al-Husami an-Nasiri, better known simply as Tankiz (; died May 1340), was the Damascus-based Turkic peoples, Turkic ''na'ib al-saltana'' (viceroy) of Syria from 1312 to 1340 during the reign of the Bahri dynasty, Bah ...

, the Viceroy of Syria. Throughout his first term as governor, Taynal opposed some of Tankiz's policies, arousing the latter's anger. As punishment, Tankiz demoted Taynal, assigning him to the post of ''Na'ib'' of Gaza. Taynal replaced Tuluntari al-Jukandari by

Muharram Al-Muharram () is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is one of the four sacred months of the year when warfare is banned. It precedes the month of Safar. The tenth of Muharram is known as Ashura, an important day of commemoration in ...

733 (September/October 1332). Gaza was a less important province, the powers of its governor having been reduced in concurrence with Taynal's appointment. In 1335 relations between Taynal and Tankiz had warmed, and Taynal was reassigned as Na'ib of Tripoli. It was during this term, in 1336, that Taynal had the famous mosque bearing his name constructed. ''

Waqf A (; , plural ), also called a (, plural or ), or ''mortmain'' property, is an Alienation (property law), inalienable charitable financial endowment, endowment under Sharia, Islamic law. It typically involves donating a building, plot ...

'' ("religious endowment") documents in the mosque indicate that he maintained vast wealth. The 14th-century traveler

Ibn Batutah Ibn Battuta (; 24 February 13041368/1369), was a Maghrebi traveller, explorer and scholar. Over a period of 30 years from 1325 to 1354, he visited much of Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Iberian Peninsula. Near the end of his life, Ibn ...

wrote of the lavishness of the transportation convoys Taynal used in Tripoli. He resided in a mansion known as Dar al-Saadah (Abode of Felicity). Taynal had a house for himself built on the site of an "old Fatimid hospital," as noted by Ibn Batutah, near 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 ...

Cairo Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...

and also maintained a residence in Damascus, which later became a religious school known as "Madrasah Taynaliyya." When Tankiz was deposed in 1340, Taynal was stripped of his governorship, but was reappointed in 1341. He served out his third term as governor until his death in

Damascus Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...

in 1343. Although the Taynal Mosque in Tripoli was also intended to be a

mausoleum A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type o ...

for Taynal, he was buried in Damascus. ''Aruqtay'' was appointed as Governor of Tripoli when Taynal was dismissed.Mayer, 1933, p
78
/ref>

References

Bibliography

* * * {{refend 1343 deaths Bahri dynasty Mamluk emirs Tripoli, Lebanon Year of birth missing History of Gaza City 14th-century governors