History of Islam Vol 3 of 3 by Akbar Shah Najeebabadi

Civil Wars after Sultan the Conqueror
461
power in India too. While in India, only two kings from the Slave
dynasty were actually slaves and the latter kings only belonged to that
dynasty, in Egypt however, only a slave could succeed to the throne
on the death of the slave ruler. Those slave kings were called
Mamluks. They ruled over Egypt until the time of Sultan Salim and
the Abbasid caliphs lived in Egypt only to provide a safeguard and to
provide credibility to those Egyptian kings. The Mamluk rule of Egypt
was also very respectable and mighty. The Mamluks extended two
marvelous services to Islam. One, they saved Islam from the Christian
assaults and did away with the crusades forever; two, they put a
check on the surge of Mongol invasions and beat the forces of
Genghis and Hulagu Khan. It is quite strange that the victorious
Mongols were thrashed by the slaves (Mamluks) of Egypt were beaten
again by the slave kings of India. Thus, the Mongols who took the
most respectable and highest
Muslim slave kingdoms.
dynasties by storm were routed by the
The Mamluk dynasty of Egypt,
which ruled in Egypt, Syria and the
Hijazfrom the end of the Ayyubi dynasty, had never been inimical to
die Ottoman dynasty. However, when Prince Jamshed took refuge in
Egypt after being defeated by his elder brother Sultan Bayazid II
relations with Cairo and Constantinople turned bitter to the extent of
causing a clash between the two and the Ottoman rule had suffered
setbacks at the hands of the Mamluks. They were anxiously watching
the victorious marches of Sultan Salim and especially the defeat bf
Ismail Safwi. They were anticipating Salim's campaigns against Egypt
to restore the cities and forts occupied by the Mamluks during the rule
of Bayazid U.
his emissary to the
Ismail Safwi, after being defeated by Sultan Salim, sent
Mamluk ruler to establish friendly relations’ with
Egyp*- Qatzu Ghazi, the ruler of Egypt held the Iranian emissary in
esteem and accepted the offer. The emissary also warned the Egyptian
rnler against the impending danger of Salim's invasion. These new
developments drew his attention to the demand of the situation and he
himself came to the city of Aleppo (Arabic: Halb) and stationed himself
Immediately after this, he mobilized an adequate number of
troops along the Syrian borders. This was only done for precautionary
measures. Sultan Salim had, perhaps, no intention of attacking the
Mamluk rule for the Mamluks were devout Muslims and they had a