The Book
Ahmad ibn Tulun (835-884) governed Egypt on behalf of the Abbasid dynasty for sixteen years, taking strides to unify what was a fractious land. An aggressive and innovative actor, he pursued an ambitious political agenda that often put him at odds with his imperial masters, who once tried to remove him by force. In spite of this, he ultimately remained loyal to the Abbasids, twice marching into Syria to wage war against their Byzantine rivals.
Perhaps best known today for the mosque in Cairo that bears his name, Ibn Tulun left a lasting mark on Egyptian history and politics, but, Matthew Gordon asks, was he the hero of Egyptian ‘national' independence that some hail him to be?
Perhaps best known today for the mosque in Cairo that bears his name, Ibn Tulun left a lasting mark on Egyptian history and politics, but, Matthew Gordon asks, was he the hero of Egyptian ‘national' independence that some hail him to be?
Additional Information
| Subject | Religion, History |
|---|---|
| Series | Makers of the Muslim World |
| Pages | 176 |
| Imprint | Oneworld Academic |
Table of Contents
MapsChronology
The Tulunid Household
INTRODUCTION
The Political and Military Setting
Ibn Tulun and Abbasid Politics
Governing Abbasid Egypt
1 THE FIRST DECADE IN OFFICE 868-877
The Appointment to Egypt
The Claim to Full Authority
Pacification and the Tulunid Military
The Imperial Stage
2 THE LAST YEARS IN OFFICE 877-884
The New Syrian Campaign
Father and Son
Tarsus and Damascus
The Question of Legacy
3 GOVERNING EGYPT
Representing Ibn Tulun
Egypt and the Samarran Military
Family and Household
The Tulunid Military and Security Forces
The Tulunid Economy and its Administration
4 CITY AND CEREMONY
Al-Qata'i`
The City as Stage
The Military Command
The Religious Establishment
Damascus, the Abbasid Court, and the Frontier
CONCLUSION: TULUNID FORTUNES
The Amir's Career
Acknowledgments
Bibliography
Index
