Egypt and Syria in the Fatimid, Ayyubid, and Mamluk Eras: Proceedings of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd International Colloquium [sic] Organized at the katholieke Universiteit Leuven in May 1992, 1993 and 1994.

• Author: Hanna, Nelly
• Position: Review

Edited by U. VERMEULEN and D. DE SMET. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta, vol. 73. Louvain: PEETERS, 1996. Pp. 371. FB 2600.

As the title suggests, this book brings together twenty-three articles, in English, French, and German, based on presentations to three international symposiums on the subject of medieval Egypt and Syria held in three consecutive years. Nine of the articles are on the Fatimids, six on the Ayyubids, and eight on the Mamluks. The volume thus covers a period of over five centuries (969-1517).

The volume brings together articles from different domains, namely, history (which forms the majority of contributions), art and architecture, literature and poetry, and religious matters. This is at the same time an advantage and a disadvantage. The reader may get a broad perspective on a given period, and will be able to make links between different subjects, and to connect various aspects of a certain dynasty, such as politics, royal emblems, architectural projects, and patronage for poets. Occasionally, however, even though the point of reference is Egypt and Syria (with a much heavier dose of Egypt), the reader may find the subjects in the volume to be too diverse for meaningful connections to be made. An introduction would have helped to hold together the different articles and to outline the contribution of the volume, in terms of method and of content. The present review will suggest an outline of some of the trends in the book.

The articles cover a wide range of subjects: military, religious, ceremonial; administration and chancery; architecture and urbanism; poetry. Particularly prominent among these are the military aspects, with two articles by M. Brett, one on the battles of Ramla in 1099-1105 and the other on the Fatimid origins of some Mamluk military institutions, and one article in French by A.-M. Edde on Ayyubid military institutions. The article by D. Jackson is on a prominent military figure, Saladin, but concentrates on his political abilities and his statesmanship.

The Qalawunid dynasty is also prominent among the various contributions. D. Behrens-Abouseif deals with Sultan al-Nasir Muhammad's architectural projects; one of the articles of P.M. Holt covers the same sultan's alliances and the other is about Sultan Qalawun's relations with the Latin...