The Mongol Mamluk Sultan Al Adel Kitbugha (694-702 Hij, 1294-1302 AD)

In history, some personalities stand out due to the differences in the way they were viewed after achieving glory for themselves, a glory that took them up to the highest ranks. Among those was the Sultan Al Adel Kitbugha around whom historians have differed in their assessment of his eligibility to rule Egypt and the Levant. Many historians of the Mamluk era praised him, such as Abu Shama Al Maqdasi, Ibn Kathir, Ibn Al Jazri, Ibn Ayas, among others. However, other historians vilified him and accused him of favoring members of his own Mongol race. These historians include Ibn Al Furat, Baibars Al Mansuri, Al Hasan Al Safdi, among others. The main contention of this research devolves around a detailed analysis of these conflicting views and a profile of the unusual personality of the Mongol Sultan Al Adel Kitbugha, who, despite accusations of favoring members of his own race, successfully ruled Egypt and the Levant amidst heated differences between those who praised and those who reviled him. Research Plan: The research plan depends upon historic reports of evens in understanding aspects of such an important and controversial personality in the Mamluk era. To fulfil this objective, we need a thorough analysis of the collected data to reveal the facts. The research will deal with his Mongol origin, the great trust that Sultan Al Mansur Qalawun and his son Sultan Al Nasir Mohammad placed in him, his Sultanate, historians’ conflicting views of him, his relation to members of his own Mongol race, his removal from the Sultanate and the subsequent accession of Sultan Al Mansur Lajin, then his appointment to rule Hama and later his demise.

Source: World Journal of Islamic History and Civilization

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