Qāytbāy’s Journey to Bilād al-Shām in 882-1477 :power, periphery, and royal peregrinations -

Abstract

In 882-1477, the Mamluk Sultan Qāytbāy undertook an unprecedented, four-month long journey to Bilād al-Shām, a region hitherto not visited by any reigning Circassian sultan. This thesis presents a close study of this journey in three steps: first, by examining the historical conditions enveloping Qāytbāy’s reign, from which his agenda and motivations for the journey emerged. Second, an investigation into the pre-modern practice of travelling monarchs in Central Asia, Mughal India and Manchurian China yields crucial, comparative knowledge that ‘normalizes’ Qāytbāy’s travels as a prosaic occurrence in his time, as curious as it may appear to us now. Finally, furnished with relevant context particular to both the late Mamluk Empire and pre-modern royal peregrinations, this thesis analyses first-hand accounts of Qāytbāy’s journey by Ibn al-Ḥimṣī in Damascus, by Ibn Jī‘ān, an Egyptian scribe who travelled with Qāytbāy, as well as by Ibn Iyās in Cairo. Ultimately, this thesis argues that the expectation of an impending military confrontation with the Ottomans, compounded by social unrest in the region provoked by Qāytbāy’s military-linked financial reforms, motivated this unprecedented journey. Considering that Qāytbāy’s travels have received little scholarly attention, it is hoped that this modest study will contribute towards our increased understanding of the late Mamluk Empire.