Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate: Gifts and Material Culture in the Medieval Islamic World (Library of Middle East History) - Hardcover

"The importance of gift-giving was enshrined in pre-modern diplomatic culture, and with the Mamluk at the center of and enormous web of political and commercial networks from regions as far as Ceylon and Bahmanid India,, Ethiopia and Mali, the Magrib and Iberia, Europe and the Ottomans, and, to complete the circle, the Mongol and Timurids. The author shows how the gifts between the rulers of each of these areas were emblematic or different messages - power, prestige, threat, gratitude tribute, influence, or often a mixture of these. Her superb command of the sources and her knowledge of Mamluk art once again make for an authoritative work which adds fascinating new material." - Bernard O'Kane, Professor of Islamic Art and Architecture, The American University in Cairo "Comprehensive and masterful - Prof. Doris Behrens-Abouseif draws a detailed history of the art of giving in the context of the Mamluk Sultanate, considering all the ins and outs of what became a sophisticated tradition. Thoroughly documented, this stimulating book will become a reference work for students and scholars in the field of Middle-Eastern studies and beyond." - Professor Frederic Bauden, Universite de Liege Abouseif's command of the primary textual sources is even more imprssive than her treatment of the surviving body of art-historical artefacts and the information these supply about late medieval material culture in the eastern Mediterranean. Anthony Cutler, Evan Pugh, Professor of Art History, Penn State University

Elaborate and sensational gifts were the hallmark of Mamluk diplomacy. In firm control of the medieval spice trade as well as the holy sites of Christianity and Islam, the Sultanate's capital at Cairo became a diplomatic crossroads in the medieval world and the seat of a new Islamic caliphate. Already victorious over both the Crusaders and the Mongols, their military success and lavish religious patronage were not enough to ensure the dynasty's prestige: the Mamluk Sultans were often reminded of their slave origins, impugned by rivals as 'pagans' recruited to faith and service by purchase. In response, the sultans staged brilliant performances in Cairo and dispatched carefully designed diplomatic gifts all over the medieval world. These marvellous displays were the crowning ornament of Mamluk legitimacy, celebrated from Europe to the Far East. Drawing on extensive primary sources and fieldwork in museums across the world, Doris Behrens-Abouseif is the first to treat this important subject in depth and here reveals an unexplored aspect of Middle Eastern material culture. Composed of spectacular elements such as spices, exotic animals, Chinese porcelain, ceremonial textiles and military and equestrian objects - not to mention humans, either living or as severed heads - the regal offering varied in combination and emphasis according to the status and circumstances of giver and receiver, but always created a sensation. Acknowledging the established historical precedents of diplomacy and regal gift-giving, the author examines the nuance of cultural and political realities in period diplomacy as well as the transmission of encrypted messages, illuminating the subtle conveyance of self-representation and identity in medieval Cairo and the world beyond. With ground-breaking new research, this book - richly illustrated in colour - provides a comprehensive view of the art and politics of the Mamluk diplomatic gift, by which these sultans of humble origins created a magnificent image of themselves in the courts of their Muslim rivals and allies worldwide. It will prove essential reading for both students and scholars.