Circassian Mamluks Period (1382-1517)

The Circassian Mamluks were slaves bought by the Bahri Mamluk Sultan Qala‘un. Much like the Bahri Mamluk dynasty, the Circassian sultans usually gained power through murder and usurpation rather than natural succession and inheritance. In 1382, a Circassian slave took control of Egypt. His reign began the Circassian rule.

This was a dangerous time where few people were safe. Both Christians and Jews were persecuted. Christians were made to wear heavy five-pound crosses around their necks and Jews had to wear black stone balls around theirs. In this empire, the people were taxed heavily. Despite the political turmoil, the Circassian Mamluk Period was the greatest epoch of Egyptian architecture. Developments made at the Mosque of Sultan Hasan were carried through in the architecture of the Circassian Dynasty. The traditional form of the madrasa and mosque complex was transformed, creating, as in the Mosque of Sultan Hasan, a madrasa that also included the Friday mosque for congregational sermons. Living units were also omitted as an integral part of the religious complex. Instead, they were integrated into the commercial part of the complex as apartments for families. This meant that those of the Sufi doctrine no longer had to live in the complex. The form of the religious complex was changing greatly as the strict regulations for the madrasa were abandoned. ©www.heku.ru