Rise and Fall of the Mamluk Dynasty

As time progressed, the Mamluk Dynasty began to take control of important religious cities. Some of the cities that this dynasty gained control of were Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem.Overall, this caused a surplus amount of trade and economical commerce for the Mamluk Dynasty. During this time frame, the Mamluks were unable to develop a systematic procedure that marked who should rule after the present sultan died. Overall, this was one of the pitfalls of the Mamluk Dynasty. The reason why they were indecisive was because they had broken the original law stating that power can not be transferred to their offspring. This law was frequently broken during the Bahri period.

During this time of anarchy, power became the main factor that decided who should become new sultan. Unfortunately this caused turmoil and destruction between Mamluk groups in Egypt. As time progressed the Mamluk Dynasty developed a set principle which marked who precedes the sultan after death. The main principle that developed was that the sultan always came from the same group, first Bahri, then Burji.

As time lapsed, the Mamluk Dynasty eventually reached its golden age lasting from 1250 until 1350. This was a period known for its comfortable living standards, which caused peace and prosperity due to improved relations both internally and externally. Unfortunately, the next hundred-seventy years marked the overall decline of the Mamluk dynasty. During this time frame, the Mamluk Dynasty experienced setbacks, economic failures, military defeats, and loss of territory. Because of these pitfalls, the Mamluk Dynasty inevitably merged with the Ottoman Empire in 1517. The Mamluks were still the leading class in the Egypt after the fall and during the 17th century they won back actual power in the country. They would continue to keep power in Egypt for approximately two-hundred years.