Sirghitmish
Sayf ad-Din Sirghitmish ibn Abdullah an-Nasiri,better known asSirghitmish(also spelledSarghitmish) (died 1358) was a prominentMamlukemir during the reign of Sultanan-Nasir Hasan(r. 1347–1351, 1354–1361). By 1357, Sirgitmish was the most powerful emir in an-Nasir Hasan's court. That year, he had theMadrasa of Sirghitmishbuilt inCairo.In 1358, the sultan's suspicions of a coup plot by Sirghitmish led to his imprisonment and subsequent death.
Biography
[edit]Political career
[edit]Sirghitmish was amamlukpurchased by Sultanan-Nasir Muhammad(r. 1310–1341).[1]He began his career under Sultanal-Muzaffar Hajji(r. 1346–1347), a son of an-Nasir Muhammad.[2]In March/April 1352, in a spiritual bid to recover from an illness, which had lasted for a few days, Sirghitmish donated largealmsto the impoverished and freed a certain number of prisoners.[3]He rose to prominence during the second reign of an-Nasir Muhammad's son,an-Nasir Hasan,which began in 1355. Sirghitmish and EmirShaykhuhad led the coup against Sultanas-Salih Salihand the strongman Taz an-Nasiri and restored an-Nasir Hasan to the throne.[4]Sirghitmish and Shaykhu were the major figures in an-Nasir Hasan's court and held the reins of power.[4]Sirghitmish's authority was strengthened when Shaykhu was killed by dissidentmamluksin 1357.[4]That year he purchased the town ofAmmanin Transjordan and assigned it as the district capital ofBalqa,part of the province of Damascus. Ownership of Amman would remain in Sirghitmish's family until they sold it in 1394.[5]
While Sirghitmish was the most powerful figure in the royal court, an-Nasir Hasan sought to assert his authority and oust Sirghitmish.[4]After imprisoning or exiling Shaykhu'smamlukfaction, he moved against Sirghitmish, who he believed was plotting to topple him.[4]Sirghitmish was arrested in 1358 and jailed inAlexandria.[4]He died there later that year.[4]Afterward, the presence of Sirghitmish'smamlukfaction, which according toIbn Iyasnumbered 800mamluks,[6]was suppressed in the royal court and replaced by an-Nasir Hasan's ownmamluksand supporters.[4]One of Sirghitmish's sons, Ibrahim, would later become an emir of ten, i.e. a low-ranking Mamluk officer in 1363, during the reign of Sultan al-Mansur Muhammad.[7]
Cultural patronage
[edit]
Sirghitmish studied theArabiclanguage and was well-versed in theQur'anandcalligraphy.[8]He also studiedIslamic jurisprudence,and favored theHanafimadhab(school of thought) ofSunni Islam.[8]Nonetheless, he valued the work of non-Hanafi scholars as well, and showed particular favoritism to thePersianmembers of theulama(Muslim scholarly establishment).[8]Persian culture influenced his architectural and cultural patronage.[8]
In 1356 Sirghitmish commissioned the construction of theMadrasa of Sirghitmish(also known as the "Sarghitmishiya Madrasa" ) inCairo.[2]Themadrasa(Islamic college) consists of four largeiwans,ostensibly for the fourmadhabsof Sunni Islam, although themadrasawas only used by the Hanafimadhab.[2]A feature of Sirghitmish'smadrasaunique to similar institutions in Cairo was that a dome was built atop the central portion of theqiblaiwan.[2]Another feature not typically seen in Cairene mosques ormadrasasis theminaret's bi-colored inlaidmasonry.[2]Sirghitmish's son Ibrahim died in 1368/69 and was buried in themadrasa.[7]
References
[edit]- ^Al-Harithy 1996, p. 78.
- ^abcde"Madrasa Sarghatmish".Archnet.Aga Khan Documentation Center.
- ^Sabra, Adam (2000).Poverty and Charity in Medieval Islam: Mamluk Egypt, 1250-1517.Cambridge University Press. p. 64.ISBN9780521772914.
- ^abcdefghAl-Harithy 1996, p. 70.
- ^Walker, Bethany J. (2015)."On Archives and Archaeology: Reassessing Mamluk Rule from Documentary Sources and Jordanian Fieldwork".In Talmon-Heller, Daniela; Cytryn-Silverman, Katia (eds.).Material Evidence and Narrative Sources: Interdisciplinary Studies of the History of the Muslim Middle East.Brill. p. 120.ISBN9789004279667.
- ^Ayalon, David (2005)."Studies on the Structure of the Mamluk Army-II".In Hawting, Gerald R. (ed.).Muslims, Mongols and Crusaders.Routledge. p. 462.ISBN9781136027260.
- ^abRichards, Donald S. (1998)."Mamluk amirs, families and households".In Philipp, Thomas; Haarmann, Ulrich (eds.).The Mamluks in Egyptian Politics and Society.Cambridge University Press. p. 50.ISBN9780521591157.
- ^abcdAbou-Khatwa, Noha."Influences of Ilkhanid Art on Mamluk Art: A Case Study in the Patronage of Amir Sirghitmish al-Nasiri".International Society for Iranian Studies.Retrieved2016-02-22.
Bibliography
[edit]- Al-Harithy, Howyda N. (1996)."The Complex of Sultan Hasan in Cairo: Reading Between the Lines".InGibb, H.A.R.;E. van Donzel;P.J. Bearman;J. van Lent (eds.).The Encyclopaedia of Islam.BRILL.ISBN9789004106338.
- Mayer, L.A.(1933).Saracenic Heraldry: A Survey.Oxford: Oxford University Press.(pp.14,208−210)