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Munyatu’l-Ghuzat,
A 14th-Century Mamluk-Kipchak Military Treatise
Published
1989
Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press
This book is an English edition of Munyatu’l-Ghuzat,
"Wish of the warriors of the Faith," a 14th century
military treatise written in Mamluk-Kipchak Turkic and composed
during the Mamluk reign in Egypt. This edition is based on the
only existing manuscript of the work, that is preserved
in the library of the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul (Section:
Ahmed III, No. 3468).
The
Mamluks
The Mamluks
were originally purchased as slaves from mostly the Kipchak tribes
and the Circassians living on the southern steppes of Russia and
the Caucasus and were brought to Cairo and other important military
centers.
After
extensive military training in these military centers, the Mamluks
served as soldiers in the army and as bodyguards of the sultans
and military commanders, and they gradually began to exert their
power over the sultans. When the Mamluk commander Aybek overthrew
the Ayyubid dynasty in 1250, the Mamluks became the rulers of
Egypt and Syria and continued in that role until they were overthrown
in 1517 by the Ottomans.
The
Mamluk-Kipchak Revival of Military Literature
The first
or the only language of most Mamluks was a middle Turkic dialect
commonly referred to as Mamluk-Kipchak. Because of the many Turkic-speaking
Mamluks in the ruling military elite, the Mamluk-Kipchak Turkic
language had an important role as a medium of communication among
them.
Military
exercises, systematic drills, and intensive training in the arts
of war were given a paramount importance during the Mamluk period,
which is reflected in their military prowess on the battlefield.
The reign of the Mamluks saw a revival of military literature
that was written in both Arabic and also in Mamluk-Kipchak Turkic.
This military treatise is one of such military works written in
Turkish.
Manuscript
Content
The original
manuscript consists of the following chapters:
- Mounting
the Horse
- Holding
the Lance
- Acts
Related to the Use of the Sword
- Holding
the Shield (missing)
- Archery
- Hitting
the Ball (the game of polo)
This English edition
of Munyatu’l-Ghuzat consists of the following chapters:
- Description of the
Manuscript and Content Analysis of the Text (pp. 1-6)
- Linguistic Analysis
of the Text (pp. 7-21)
- Transcription of
the Text in the Latin Script (pp. 23-49)
- English Translation
(pp. 51-79)
- Analytical Index
to the Text (pp. 81-141)
Bibliography
Appendix A - Technical Terminology
Appendix B - English Glossary to the Analytical Index)
A Facsimile of the Original Manuscript
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