Rise of The Mamluks (1250–1517)

Abstract

The Arabic word mamluk (plural, mamalik) refers to “property”— that is, a person who is owned by someone else. It cannot be translated as “slave,” however, because the Arabic word for that is abd. Scholars have therefore preferred a “technical” translation: either “white slave” or, more importantly, “military slave.” The latter refers to the practice of purchasing a young (male) slave, who is then converted to Islam and trained as a soldier under the supervision of the slave owner.