The actual conditions of iqta' holdings during the late Mamluk Period in Egypt : On the basis of the Ottoman Daftar Jayshi

Abstract

After the completion of the Nasiri Cadastre (713-25/1313-25), the Mamluk Dynasty (648-922/1250-1517) was able to establish a unified ruling regime based on the bestowal of iqta's. Although it is clear that iqta' holders and holding patterns were closely connected to the "Mamluk regime", the actual conditions of iqta' holdings have yet to be ascertained due to a scarcity of contemporary sources. This article examines the actual conditions of iqta' holdings in Egypt during the late Mamluk period on the basis of the Ottoman military register Daftar Jayshi, which contains copies of iqta' holding records during that time. The author has analyzed approximately 700 such records from the following aspects: (1) the social demographics of holders, (2) patterns of ownership and (3) inheritance and succession of holdings. As a result, this analyses shows a few significant characteristics of iqta' holdings. The analysis first reveals that awlad al-nas (sons of mamluks) had held their iqta's on a par with mamluks, in contrast to previous research arguing that their holdings were tending to decrease during the late Mamluk period. Secondly, there was a diversity of holders, including not only mamluks but also awlad al-nas and civilians, who held their iqta's in conjunction with kinsfolk and members of their households. In addition, they took over their iqta's among them. The author defines such holdings as "iqta's for pensions", since they diverged from the ideal concept of iqta' holdings for providing solidarity and cohesion among the military class of the "Mamlak regime". Finally, these "iqta's for pensions" were ultimately turned into private land holding or waqfs. This means that the spread of "iqta's for pensions" led to an expansion of private land ownership and waqfs, a characteristic phenomenon of the late Mamlak period.