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CASE STUDY: Egypt C. Whipple / T. Loessin PART I: (639 – 19th Century) CASE STUDY: Egypt 639 ~ The Arab Conquest ~ 641 Amr ibn al As was born in 583. At first opposed to Islam, he later converted and was appointed a military commander during the time of the prophet. •Led conquest of Egypt in 639-641 •Egypt’s first Muslim ruler •Renamed Babylon: Al Fustat (now known as Cairo); made capital because of easy access to Red Sea and Arabian Peninsula •Built mosque in Al Fustat bearing his name •As per tradition, conquered peoples given three choices: •Convert to Islam •Retain their religion in return for payment of poll tax •War CASE STUDY: Egypt 641 ~ •Treated Egyptian Copts well The Arab Conquest ~ 868 VOCAB. Copt – an Egyptian descended from ancient Egyptians and member of Christian Coptic Church. •Arabization of country began •Governors appointed by Arab caliphs ruled Egypt •Grain and tax revenues sent east •Many Egyptians converted to Islam •Arabic language gained acceptance in government, commerce, and culture •Many Arab tribes settled in Egypt •Control by Caliphate weakened in ninth century •Capital of empire moved further east, from Damascus to Baghdad •Locals gained more control over all aspects of life in Egypt, such as politics and economy CASE STUDY: Egypt 641 ~ Caliphate Rule ~ 868 Ummayyad Dynasty •ruled from Damascus sent governors to collect taxes, but did not interfere in day-to-day operations Abbassid Dynasty •ruled from Baghdad increased non-Muslim taxes in Egypt, leading to a Coptic rebellion and increased challenges to Muslim authority CASE STUDY: Egypt 868 ~ The Tulinid Dynasty ~ 905 Ahmad ibn Tulun was the son of a Turkish slave to Caliph al-Ma’mun and an orthodox Sunni Muslim • Governed on behalf of his stepfather, who was granted Egypt as a fief by the Caliph Al Mutazz, following one of the last of the Christian uprisings in Egypt • ruled autonomously but under Abbasid Caliphate • kept much of the revenue since the caliphate was weak, enabling him to build up his capital, now known as Cairo •established pattern of hereditary rule by passing control of Egypt to his son, Khumarawayh upon his death in 884 • captured Syria in 878 and united it with Egypt CASE STUDY: Egypt 868 ~ The Tulinid Dynasty ~ 905 •kept much of Egypt’s revenue since the caliphate in Baghdad was weak, enabling him to build up his capital, now known as Cairo • had the Mosque of Ahmad ibn Tulan built; is the third largest mosque in the world and one of the oldest to survive basically intact •dynasty ended in 905 when Baghdad regained control through the use of imperial troops "The Amir... has ordered the construction of this blessed and happy mosque, using the revenues from a pure and legitimate source that God has granted him...". - From an ancient calligraphy in 9th century Kufic script CASE STUDY: Egypt 935 ~ Ikhshidid Dynasty ~ 969 Muhammad ibn Tughj was the son of a Turkish slave to Caliph al-Ma’mun. • appointed governor, later given title Ikhshid (prince) • also ruled autonomously under the Baghdad Caliphate • gained control of Palestine, Syria, and the two main holy cities of Mecca and Medina •Kafur, a slave and tutor to Muhammad ibn Tughi’s sons become de facto ruler from 946-966 as the children’s guardian and then ruled in his own name until his death in 969 CASE STUDY: Egypt 969 ~ Fatimids ~ 1099 • Shi’ite rulers who took name from Prophet’s daughter, Fatima • ruled in North Africa and moved into Egypt • expanded empire into Sinai Peninsula and into Syria and Palestine • opposed Sunni rule of Abbasids in Baghdad; felt they themselves were true rulers of Islamic world and wanted independence from Baghdad • strictly enforced Islamic rules of behavior • Shi’ism mainly practiced by elite; population remained mostly Sunni, Jewish, or Coptic Christian • established intellectual center for scholars to study doctrines of Ismaili Shia faith • developed more efficient bureaucracy for tax collection • built export network with Europe and India The Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo, built by the Fatimid Dynasty in 970 CASE STUDY: Egypt 1168 ~ The Ayyubid Dynasty ~ 1260 Salah ad Din ibn Ayyub (Saladin) Kurdish general whose uncle was last senior minister of Fatimid caliphs. • drove crusaders from Jerusalem and most of Palestine, justifying his rule with a military jihad • returned Egypt to Sunni orthdoxy and renewed bond with Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad • introduced madrasa, part of the Sunni religious revival • after his death, the empire was split into loosely linked empire controlled by members of his family • continued trade with Europe and East; many Egyptian items in demand, such as alum • Egypt became center of Arab scholarship Citadel in Cairo built to fortify city against Crusaders CASE STUDY: Egypt 1168 ~ The Ayyubid Dynasty ~ 1260 Shajarat al-Durr wife of Ayyuhid sultan who took control of Egypt following her husband’s death in 1250 • one of few women to rule Islamic state, although only for a short period of time • first female Egyptian ruler since Cleopatra • defeated Frankish crusaders attempt to invade Egypt • Husband imported slaves into Egypt, known as Mamelukes • first female Islamic leader to have coins made in her image • Baghdad leadership did not want a woman leader “Since no man among you is worthy of being sultan I will come in person and bring you one. Know you not that the Prophet - may he be exalted - has said, 'Woe unto nations governed by woman'." CASE STUDY: Egypt 1250 ~ The Mamluks ~ 1517 Mamluks • a warrior caste created by Islamic leaders who took non-Muslim slave boys and trained them as loyal soldiers • most converted to Islam during their training • brought to Egypt during Ayyubid Dynasty • helped Shajar Al-Durr, favorite wife of deceased Sultan defeat French Crusaders in 1249 • seized control by forcing Sultan’s widow to marry commander in Mamluk forces, Aibeg • rule of each Mamluk ruler was only about seven years, due to assassinations from within • very little change in government due to military focus • trade with Italian city-states flourished A Mamluk soldier CASE STUDY: Egypt 1250 ~ The Mamluks ~ Bahri Mamluks (1250-1382) Turks and Mongols. •formed Bahri Dynasty (river slaves) by Qutuz, former vice-regent under Aibeg •Baybars killed Qutuz and assumed Sultanate •organized military resistance to Mongol invasions • set up puppet caliph in Baghdad •Cairo became economic center of Muslim world after Mongol invaded Baghdad •Burjis Mamluks (1382-1517) Carcassians • defeated by Selim I of the Ottoman Empire, enabled by in-fighting among Mamluks 1517 CASE STUDY: Egypt 1517 ~ Ottoman Empire ~ 1760 • Egypt became an Ottoman province after the defeat of the Mamluks by Selim I • Khair Bey, a colleague of Selim I, was left in charge of Egypt; he ruled as a vassal of Selim • later, governors were appointed to rule the province • Mamluks retained much of their power and interfered in the Ottoman governors’ ability to run country As the historian Daniel Crecelius has written, from that point on the history of Ottoman Egypt can be explained as the struggle between the Ottomans and the Mamluks for control of the administration and, hence, the revenues of Egypt, and the competition among rival Mamluk houses for control of the beylicate.