mamluk
- Mamluk is an Arabic word (plural: mamalik or mamluks) which referred to a group of enslaved soldiers who served as a caste within the Islamic military societies during the medieval period
- Mamluk comes from the Arabic root “malaka,” which means “to possess.” This reflects the fact that these soldiers were essentially owned as slaves by their masters, who were typically members of the ruling class
- Mamluk people were often of Turkic, Circassian, or other non-Arab origins and were trained from a young age to become skilled warriors and administrators
Add entry