8vo. 447 pp., Arabic text, publisher’s original wrappers, biblio, index, cover lightly foxed, otherwise copy inside clean and in mint condition, Bibliotheca Islamica Band 31. Franz Steiner Verlag, Wiesbaden & Beirut, 1983.

Synopsis

Sirat al-Zahir Baybars (Life of al-Zahir Baybars), also known as “al-Sirah al-Zahiriya”, is a long Egyptian folkloric epic poem that narrates the life and heroic achievements of the Mamluk Sultan al-Zahir Baybars al-Bunduqdari.
Baibars or Baybars (1223/1228 – 1277), of Turkic Kipchak origin — nicknamed Abu al-Futuh was the fourth Sultan of Egypt in the Mamluk Bahri dynasty. He was one of the commanders of the Egyptian forces that inflicted a defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France. He also led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260, which marked the first substantial defeat of the Mongol army and is considered a turning point in history. The reign of Baibars marked the start of an age of Mamluk dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean and solidified the durability of their military system. He managed to pave the way for the end of the Crusader presence in the Levant and reinforced the union of Egypt and Syria as the region’s pre-eminent Muslim state, able to fend off threats from both Crusaders and Mongols, and even managed to subdue the kingdom of Makuria, which was famous for being unconquerable by previous Muslim empire invasion attempts. As Sultan, Baibars also engaged in a combination of diplomacy and military action, allowing the Mamluks of Egypt to greatly expand their empire.