Mamluk Sultanate (Principia Moderni III Map Game)

Note: Soon to be Renamed the Mashriq Sultanate

The Mamluk Sultanate (Arabic: سلطنة المماليك‎ Sulṭanat al-Mamālīk), alternatively called the Cairo Sultanate, is a powerful Muslim nation, based in Egypt, which also controls Medina and Syria in its own right. The Sultanate also controls vassals in Nubia, Mecca, Yemen, Oman, Cicilia, Somalia, and the Swahili, while being in a Personal Union with the powerful Jalayirid Sultanate of Mesopotamia. The majority of the population and power, however, tends to be based around Egypt and Syria, the traditional homes of the ruling class, and the ethnic basis for most of the nation.

Pre-1400
The Mamluk Sultanate has its origins in the ancient Egyptian cultures, the Hellenic world, and the Muslim empires, creating a diverse and unique population of cultured people. The location of Egypt, along the powerful Nile River, created the first civilizations in the region in 3772 BH (3150 BC), when Menes created the first of the Ancient Egyptian kingdoms.

The Old Kingdom, with the Great Pyramids, turned into the Middle Kingdom, with characteristic disunity, which finally ended with the New Kingdom, which had the most prosperity. The rest of the world took note, however, and by 927 BH (305 BC) the Ptolemaic Kingdom, a remnant of Alexander the Great's empire, ruled over the Hellenic Egyptians.

Egypt was quick to become Muslim, and by 20 AH the various Caliphates had solidified their control over the region. With the fall of the Ayyubids in 628 AH (1250 AD), the Mamluks came into power in Egypt, and slowly expanded to the current size.

Social Structure
The government of the Mamluk Sultanate is unique in that all of the nobles were previously slaves. The social structure of Egypt is such that the Mamluks (special slaves) are considered to be the rulers over the freeborn Muslims even. The social structure, which is highly codified, dictates many aspects of Mamlukean life.
 * Mamluks - Considered to be the "True Lords," the Mamluks include knights and emirs.
 * Imams and Muezzins - Considered to be the spiritual elite, the clergy is highly respected.
 * Hajjis - Those who travel to Mecca, these people tend to have great wealth and influence.
 * Muslim - Those who follow Allah, they are themselves subdivided based upon power.
 * Trader
 * Artisan
 * Farmer
 * Dhimmī - These people, who are not Muslims, must pay a Jizya to practice their faith.
 * Ghilmān - A dark slave, often from Nubia or elsewhere in Africa, they were very limited in freedom.

Government
While the entirety of the Sultanate recognizes the Sultan as the Sovereign ruler, certain Emirs practice more autonomy, typically due to a period of integration, than others. This is the primary distinction between the Mamluk Sultanate proper and the vassal states of the Cairo-based state.

The Sultan is advised by a group of Mamluks, who were nothing more than slaves that were well educated and highly respected due to a stringent military culture that the Mamluks were placed into at a very young age.

Emirs, who were princely Mamluks, would have their own agendas but rarely challenge the Sultan head-on, because of strict religious beliefs that the Sultan received word from Allah.

In recent years, a radical new idea, Republicanism, has taken root in intellectual and trade-based communities, as well as regions that are opposed to strong central government, such as the Egyptian frontier. These republican amirates are led by Amirs, who are elected at varying intervals, dependent upon the region.

Currently, al-Bahr, Ifriqiya, Al-Sharqiyyah, Nobatia, Medina, and Socotra are led by amirs, while the other states are led by emirs.

Administration


The map to the right shows the main Emirates and Amirates of the Mamluk Sultanate. Each Emirate is either inherited or goes to election to most elegible Mamluk, in the case of no legal heir. Each Amirate is led by an Amir, who is elected in terms ranging from 5 years to an entire lifetime, depending on the regional customs.

Furthermore, each Emir or Amir has approximately ten Walis, who manage even smaller portions of land. Bold indicates a semi-autonomous Emir.
 * Ifriqiya - Barka
 * Al-Sharqiyyah - Farafra
 * Nobatia - Aswan
 * Egypt - Cairo
 * al-Bahr - Alexandria
 * Negev - Gaza
 * al-Madīnah - Medina
 * Palestine - Jerusalem
 * al-Rūm - Tyre
 * Sham - Damascus
 * Syria - Aleppo
 * Nubia- Dongola
 * Ifat - Zeila
 * Socotra - Tamrida
 * al-Sumal - Mogadishu
 * al-Swahili - Mombasa
 * Yemen - Sana'a
 * Oman - Muscat
 * Cicilia - Adana

Economy
As a result of large population, decent innovations, and connections to the Far East and Western Worlds, the Mamluk Sultanate and the greater Burji Dynasty controls a great majority of the most powerful trading cities in the Arab world.

These include: Alexandria, Aleppo, Baghdad, Mombasa, and Mogadishu. The important Red Sea Opening is also controlled by the Burji Dynasty. (See: Rules for Explanation of Economic Bonuses).

Trade
Trade plays a vital role in the Mamluk Sultanate, which is an extremely powerful nation economically in both the East and the West. With the Sultante being strategically located between Europe and the riches of the Orient, the Sultanate connects goods provided by India, the Indies, and China to both Eastern and Western Europe.

The main Western trading partner of the Mamluks is Venice, which operates out of the ports of Alexandria and Tripoli, which controls the Syrian trade from Aleppo and Damascus.

Religion
The primay religion in the Mamluk Sultanate is Sunni Islam. Sunni Islam has been practiced in the Sultanate since its creation, and all of the land of the Sultanate has been Muslim since the Muslim Conquests of Egypt and Syria. A small Coptic Christian community lives in Alexandria, yet their numbers are small when compared to the total Muslim population.

In recent years, under the Sultan Nasir-ad-Din Faraj Burji, the Sunni religion has been organized under the Caliph of Mecca, who has ecumenial control over the Great Imams of Alexandria, Cairo, Damascus, and Aleppo. This move to centralize Islam is largely based upon the Roman Catholic Church, and is an attempt to unify Sunni doctrine and religious power.

As a response to this centralization, and in the wake of the Republican Revolutions, Saadiq Assaf, a local cleric from Yemen...

Ethnic Groups
The main ethnic group of the Mamluk Sultanate is the Arabic ethnicity. The Arab population is spread out across the entirety of the Arabian Peninsula (including Yemen, Oman, Mecca, and the Mamlukean Emirate of Medina), throughout Mesopotamia, Syria, and Egypt.

Another major ethnic group are the Berbers.

Art and Architecture
The art and architecture of the Mamluk Sultanate are very typical of the Middle East.

Literature
While the most important piece of literature is the Kuran, other literature is also commonly read by the nobles, especially the Muslim intellectuals that are often found in Cairo, Alexandria, and Damascus, the three largest cities.

Military
The military of the Mamluk Sultanate controls great power over the state. Under the current system of government, in which Mamluks rule, the military warriors, who ride on horseback and follow a strict code of Furusiyya control the civilian government as well, albeit under the Sultan.

Recently, however, the Mamluk orders have begun to be reformed, with the integration of gunpowder, stricter adherence to Furusiyya, and even the entrance of a number of non-Mamluks to the elite military units.

In addition to the elite Mamluk troops, the Mamluk Sultanate also employs regular infantary, regular cavalry, and are starting to use artillery in limited amounts. Since siege warfare is popular in the deserts, the Sultanate also has specially trained siege units.

Total Troops:
 * Infantry
 * Musketeers
 * Pikemen
 * Cavalry
 * Mamluks
 * Raiders/Scouts
 * Artillery
 * Cannoneers
 * Siegers

List of Engagements

 * Yemeni Invasion of the Mamluks
 * Ottoman-Mesopotamian War
 * Republican Revolutions