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Mamluk Capital Cairo

Type Object Region North Africa Time 1250–1517

From 1250 to 1517 the Mamluk Sultanate ruled from Cairo, controlling Egypt, Syria, and the Hijaz, and forming one of the 14th century Islamic world's…

Timeline

  1. 1250–1293Cairo · EgyptAfter overthrowing the Ayyubids the Mamluks inherited Cairo as their capital, building a military-administrative center around Saladin's citadel and the historic Islamic city, controlling Nile trade and pilgrimage routes, with the city's scale and religious buildings continually expanding.
  2. 1341–1350Cairo · EgyptAfter the long-reigning Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad died in 1341, several sultans succeeded each other briefly between 1341 and 1347, with Hasan reigning 1347–1351. Despite frequent court struggles, Cairo's function as the Mamluk power center was unchanged; commercial districts and religious institutions kept operating, and trade with Venetian and other European merchants continued.
  3. c. 1382–1517Cairo · EgyptAfter the Burji dynasty was established in 1382, Cairo became a hub linking Mediterranean, Red Sea, and Indian Ocean trade, with mosques, schools, and markets abounding; scholars such as Ibn Khaldun were active here. After the Ottoman conquest of 1517, Cairo passed into the Ottoman provincial system.

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