Inspired by Ibn Battuta observations from Cairo in the 14th century, in this episode we walk through Cairo at the time of the Mamluks (13th-16th CE) and reach across the ages to touch upon dazzling facets of the city, as well as the sultanate - with a guest whose heart is always in Cairo.Doris Behrens-Abouseif is Professor Emerita at SOAS, University of London. Her many publications encompass a wide range of subjects within socio-cultural and art historical contexts, with a focus on Egypt and Syria covering architecture, urbanism, material culture and the decorative arts. She has written a widely-admired book on the golden era of the city, Cairo of the Mamluks: a history of the architecture and its culture.What we cover in this episodeCairo of the Mamluks: cityscape, socio-cultural, political, and religious landscapeMamluks’ contribution to Cairo’s evolution into a metropolisWhy the Mamluks supported a multi-rite policy, respecting all branches of IslamWhy the Mamluks so generously supported the Sufis and Sufi foundationsWhy the Mamluks were fond of amusement and ceremonies.Conversation key insights‘Mamluk rulers were ambitious builders, with the urban vision to expand the city’s boundaries. A collective building activity - to have as many buildings, mosques, minarets, baths, charities, as possible - was representative of the Mamluks’ identity and patronage.’‘With a non-hereditary succession system, the Mamluks focus’ was on building and construction of monuments, as a strategy to leave their mark on history: to not be forgotten and to be commemorated after their death’. ‘The stability of Egypt, at the time of Mamluks, being safe from the external threats, encouraged many migrants to come to Cairo from the territories in the East and beyond, to reside, study, and make commerce in Cairo’.‘There was a distinct caste in Mamluks’ society, between Man of the Pen (learned locals to hold positions like judges and scholars) and Man of the Sword (Mamluks in military positions), who were identifiable by their dress codes’.‘Ethnicity and religious identity played a key role in the medieval setting, rather than national identity’.‘Sufism worked as a melting-pot across the Muslim world, whereby people from different origins could find a common platform’. ‘Parade and processions were an integral part of the communication between sultans and its people at the era of Mamluks’. TermsMaristan [Bimarestan]: hospitalkhanaqah: Sufi hospiceA passage from the bookIt is said that in Cairo there are twelve thousand water-carriers who transport water on camels, and thirty thousand hirers of mules and donkeys, and that on its Nile there are thirty-six thousand vessels belonging to the Sultan and his subjects, which sail upstream to Upper Egypt and downstream to Alexandria and Dumyat, laden with goods and commodities of all kinds. On the bank of the Nile opposite Cairo is the place known as al-Rawda ['the Garden'], which is a pleasure park and promenade, containing many beautiful gardens. The people of Cairo are fond of pleasure and amusement. I once witnessed a fete there which was held for al-Malik al-Nasir's recovery from a fracture which he had suffered in his hand. All the merchants decorated their bazaars and had rich stuff, ornaments, and silken fabrics hung up in their shops for several days [The Travels of Ibn Battuta, translated by Hamilton Gibbs, Hakluyt Society]Recommended readingDress and Dress Code in Medieval Cairo: A Mamluk Obsession, Doris Behrens-AbouseWe acknowledge the Aboriginal peoples as the enduring Custodians of the land, waters and sky from where this podcast is produced.

Inspired by Ibn Battuta observations from Cairo in the 14th century, in this episode we walk through Cairo at the time of the Mamluks (13th-16th CE) and reach across the ages to touch upon dazzling facets of the city, as well as the sultanate - with a guest whose heart is always in Cairo.Doris Behrens-Abouseif is Professor Emerita at SOAS, University of London. Her many publications encompass a wide range of subjects within socio-cultural and art historical contexts, with a focus on Egypt and Syria covering architecture, urbanism, material culture and the decorative arts. She has written a widely-admired book on the golden era of the city, Cairo of the Mamluks: a history of the architecture and its culture.What we cover in this episodeThe Mamluks' origin, sultanate, historic contextTerritories ruled under the Mamluks sultanateAn Impression on the prosperity held within the mega-city of Cairo during Mamluks era  Conversation key insights‘Walking through the medieval Cairo should have been an overwhelming experience for any traveller, in terms of the size, the density of population, the wealth of its monuments, the luxury of goods, richness of markets and its cosmopolitan character.’ ‘Mamluks’ was the period which created the medieval Cairo: there is something fascinating about this old Cairo which has held great appeal for intellectuals like Najib Mahfuz and Hussain Fawzi.’‘Mamluks were neither a dynasty nor slaves. They were not a dynasty because their succession system, despite the exceptions, was mainly non-hereditary; on the contrary, the system mainly worked based on a system of appointment and recruitment.’  ‘In conjunction with their religious patronage, Mamluks were trusted because they fulfilled the challenge of military expectations by standing up against and repelling the Mongols and Crusaders.’‘Egypt, Greater Syria - including Lebanon, Palestine, and a big part of southeast Turkey - were all part of the Mamluks’ territories; they had also the privilege of being the guardians of the holy cities in Hijaz: Mecca and Medina.’ TermsEl-Qahira: CairoA passage from the book I arrived at length at the city of Misr [Cairo], mother of cities and seat of Pharaoh the tyrant, mistress of broad provinces and fruitful lands, boundless in multitude of buildings, peerless in beauty and splendour, the meeting place of comer and goer, the stopping-place of feeble and strong. Therein is what you will have of learned and simple, grave and gay, prudent and foolish, base and noble, of high estate and low estate, unknown and famous; she surges as the waves of the sea with her throngs of folk and can scarce contain them for all the capacity of her situation and sustaining power. Her youth | is ever new in spite of the length of days, and the star of her horoscope does not move from the mansion of fortune; her conquering capital has subdued the nations, and her kings have grasped the forelocks of both Arab and non-Arab. She has as her peculiar possession the majestic Nile...; her territory is a month's journey for a hastening traveller, of generous soil, and extending a friendly welcome to strangers [The Travels of Ibn Battuta, translated by Hamilton Gibbs, Hakluyt Society]Recommended readingCairo of the Mamluks: a history of the architecture and its culture, Doris Behrens-Abouseif, I.B.Tauris: London, 2007.  سندباد مصری، حسين فوزي، دار المعارف، 1969We acknowledge the Aboriginal peoples as the enduring Custodians of the land, waters and sky from where this podcast is produced.

In this episode we will explore Ibn Battuta's multiple motivations for stepping into 29 years of traveling and search to find out more about his multifaceted personality with Tim Mackintosh-Smith who has dedicated his life tracing Ibn Battuta. Tim Mackintosh-Smith is a British, Oxford-educated Arabist, writer, traveller, translator and lecturer, based in Yemen for many decades but currently nomadic. He is one of the foremost scholars of the Moroccan traveler, Ibn Battuta. Mackintosh-Smith has published a trilogy recounting his journeys in the footnotes of Ibn Battuta: Travels with A Tangerine (2001), The Hall of a Thousand Columns (2005) and Landfalls (2010). In 2007, Mackintosh-Smith presented a major BBC documentary series, Travels with a Tangerine, recounting his experiences tracing Ibn Battuta's fourteenth-century travels in the present day. In 2016 he published an edited abridgement of The Travels of Ibn Battuta with Macmillan Collector's Library.What we cover in this episodeIbn Battuta multiple motivations for stepping into 29 years of traveling.Ibn Battuta’s dream in Munyat and its interpretation. Multilayered personality of Ibn Battuta. Conversation key insights'Never so far as possible to cover a second time any road’ [A quote by Ibn Battuta in his Travels].‘Ibn Battuta is a very attractive character: fun to meet, he has a big head but also a big heart.’'Most travelers follow a path…When you look at Ibn Battuta's path, it is like a crazy spider or something running across the world. It is only when you look into his motivations does it begin to have its own logic. He was always in search of something.’‘Ibn Battuta saw humanity in everyone.’Recommended readingThe Travels of Ibn Battuta, edited by Tim Mackintosh-Smith, Macmillan Collector's Library, 2016.Thanks to the episode contributors:Kate O’Connell | Editor, Creative ConsultantAydogan Kars | Academic AdvisorAshkan Bahrani | Academic Advisor Frank Youakim | Narrator Ali Gorgin | MusicTia Goodwin | Cover art designerWe acknowledge the Aboriginal peoples as the enduring Custodians of the land, waters and sky from where this podcast is produced.

In this episode we will explore how the Travels of Ibn Battuta has been written and why the Travels is an important historic source with Tim Mackintosh-Smith who has dedicated his life tracing Ibn Battuta.Tim Mackintosh-Smith is a British, Oxford-educated Arabist, writer, traveller, translator and lecturer, based in Yemen for many decades but currently nomadic. He is one of the foremost scholars of the Moroccan traveler, Ibn Battuta. Mackintosh-Smith has published a trilogy recounting his journeys in the footnotes of Ibn Battuta: Travels with A Tangerine (2001), The Hall of a Thousand Columns (2005) and Landfalls (2010). In 2007, Mackintosh-Smith presented a major BBC documentary series, Travels with a Tangerine, recounting his experiences tracing Ibn Battuta's fourteenth-century travels in the present day. In 2016 he published an edited abridgement of The Travels of Ibn Battuta with Macmillan Collector's Library. What we cover in this episodeSome of the Ibn Battuta’s observations on YemenHow the Travels of Ibn Battuta has been writtenWhat makes Ibn Battuta and his travels specialWhy the Travels of Ibn Battuta is an important historic sourceRihla genre in the Islamic literature Ibn Battuta’s profile and characterConversation key insights‘As a historical observer Ibn Battuta can be every exact.’ ‘The travelogue is a witness to history, politics, architecture and believes. Ibn Battuta Travels is like a slice through time. Ibn Battuta was a historian despite himself, he was a geographer despite himself. You can get a history by chance in his Travels. We would not know a lot about the history of that time if not for Ibn Battuta Travels.’A Passage from the book‘My departure from Tangier, my birthplace, took place on Thursday the second of the month of God, Rajab the Unique, in the year seven hundred and twenty-five, with the object of making the Pilgrimage to the Holy House [at Mecca] and of visiting the tomb of the Prophet, God's richest blessing and peace be on him [at Medina]. I set out alone, having neither fellow-traveller in whose companionship I might find cheer, nor caravan whose party I might join, but swayed by an overmastering impulse within me and a desire long-cherished in my bosom to visit these illustrious sanctuaries. So I braced my resolution to quit all my dear ones, female and male, and forsook my home as birds forsake their nests. My parents being yet in the bonds of life, it weighed sorely upon me to part from them, and both they and I were afflicted with sorrow at this separation. My age at that time was twenty-two [lunar] years.’[The Travel of Ibn Battuta, translated by H. A. R Gibb, The Hakluyt Society, volume 1, page 8, paragraph 13]Recommended readingThe Travels of Ibn Battuta, edited by Tim Mackintosh-Smith, Macmillan Collector's Library, 2016.The Travels of Ibn Jubayr, translated by Ronald Broadhurst, Good word Books, 2007. Thanks to the episode contributors:Kate O’Connell | Editor, Creative ConsultantAydogan Kars | Academic AdvisorAshkan Bahrani | Academic Advisor Frank Youakim | Narrator Ali Gorgin | MusicTia Goodwin | Cover art designer<We acknowledge the Aboriginal peoples as the enduring Custodians of the land, waters and sky from where this podcast is produced.

In the first episode we will explore Ibn Battuta's travelogue, and search to find out more about him and his travels with a guest who has dedicated his life tracing Ibn Battuta. Tim Mackintosh-Smith is a British, Oxford-educated Arabist, writer, traveller, translator and lecturer, based in Yemen for many decades but currently nomadic. He is one of the foremost scholars of the Moroccan traveler, Ibn Battuta. Mackintosh-Smith has published a trilogy recounting his journeys in the footnotes of Ibn Battuta: Travels with A Tangerine (2001), The Hall of a Thousand Columns (2005) and Landfalls (2010). In 2007, Mackintosh-Smith presented a major BBC documentary series, Travels with a Tangerine, recounting his experiences tracing Ibn Battuta's fourteenth-century travels in the present day. In 2016 he published an edited abridgement of The Travels of Ibn Battuta with Macmillan Collector's Library.What we cover in this episodeSome of the most mind blowing experiences Tim has encountered in his journey tracing Ibn Battuta travel route.Some fascinating layers of Ibn Battuta character.Why Tim decided to retrace Ibn Battuta travel path with the space of 700 years. Conversation key insights‘Marco Polo is a bit of stick figure... Ibn Battuta in comparison is a fully rounded character' [Ross E. Dunn, The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century, University of California Press, 2012].‘Literature is what collapses time…. Get inside this book and you can cross time'.‘Ibn Battuta seeing a widow woman jumping into the fire, he has reported the horror of the scene which has been horrific to a Muslim observer or to most people, I saw the traces of the fire, it was like seeing a ghost but ghost didn’t go away, I was almost overcome by myself, it was a very creepy place, you can get inside the book and cross time, like a time travel, but that’s only one from many places, that was the most striking.’A passage from the book‘We came to a little island in that archipelago in which there was but one house, | occupied by a weaver. He had a wife and family, a few coco-palms and a small boat, with which he used to fish and to cross over to any of the islands he wished to visit. His island contained also banana bushes, but we saw no land birds on it except two crows, which came out to us on our arrival and circled above our vessel. And I swear I envied that man, and wished that the island had been mine, that I might have made it my retreat until the inevitable hour should befall me.’[The Travels of Ibn Battuta, translated by H. A. R Gibbs, The Hakluyt Society, volume 3, page 845, paragraph 163]Recommended readingThe Travels of Ibn Battuta, edited by Tim Mackintosh-Smith, Macmillan Collector's Library, 2016.The Adventures of Ibn Battuta: A Muslim Traveler of the Fourteenth Century, with a New Preface, Ross E. Dunn, University of California Press. 2012. Thanks to the episode contributors:Kate O’Connell | Editor, Creative ConsultantAydogan Kars | Academic AdvisorAshkan Bahrani | Academic Advisor Frank Youakim | Narrator Ali Gorgin | MusicTia Goodwin | Cover art designerWe acknowledge the Aboriginal peoples as the enduring Custodians of the land, waters and sky from where this podcast is produced.