Ruled by the Slaves

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When Saladin established his rule over Cairo, his Seljuk army was mainly composed of slaves and former slaves who had climbed up the ranks. They were mostly Caucasians (i.e. from the Caucasus region) or Central Asians who were captured in military raids or, in most instances, kidnapped by slave merchants. The military power of the men slaves had been on the rise since the early Abbasid rule, but their political influence tremendously increased when Saladin rewarded them extravagantly for their loyalty. They were granted ranches and palaces, and some became governers. Women slaves usually became part of the Sultan or ruler's harem, and had even more influence over politics and internal palace matters. These slaves became known as the Mamelouks (lit. Owned), and the term extended to include former slaves who were often freed to become aides and viziers.

Shagaret-el-Dorr (Tree of Pearls) was the former slave and the wife of Al-Saleh, the last Ayyubid Sultan. When he died in 1249, and with no strong successor within the Ayyubid house, Shagaret-el-Dorr became monarch. The Mamelouk lady would be the last woman to rule Egypt to this day. She ruled singlehandedly for 80 days, but was later pressured into marrying the Mamelouk chief officer, Aybeck, in order to "keep things in perspective". She continued, however, to rule Egypt, and even had her husband assassinated when he wanted to marry another woman. Shortly after, she herself was killed by her fellow Mamelouks who decided she had "gone too far".

Shagaret-el-Dorr influence on the political situation in Cairo was tremendous. Not only was she one of three women to ever govern Egypt, the first two being Hatshepsut and Cleopatra, but she was also the first Mamelouk to officially rule Egypt. From there on, a new political system developed by which a Mamelouk ruler was "elected" -or selected- in a fashion which had little to do with democracy. The selection process was more like a "military coup" system where the stronger survived. Among the earlier and most famous Mamelouk Sultans are Qutoz and Beibars who fought the Mongols under Houlagou's ruler and defeated them. They later fought each other, albeit silently, and Qutoz was apparently assassinated by Beibars' men.

Subsequent Mamelouk Sultans include Qalaun, a former Russian slave, and his son Al-Naser, who are credited for building many of today's Islamic monuments in Cairo. It is Al-Naser, also, who is notoriously reputed for his bad treatment of Egyptian Copts, many of whom were tortured and killed under his rule. In 1382, the Sultanate of the Bahari Mamelouks (that is, the Mamelouks stationed on the Island of Roda) ended when the next "elected" Sultan, Barquq, came from the group headquartered in the Citadel. These, known as the Burgi Mamelouks, or "Tower slaves", ruled for the next hundred years or so.

During Mamelouk time, a major geographic change took place in Cairo. The Nile used to flow further east than it does today. In fact, the Red Sea Canal port was located near today's Railway Station. In the Twelfth Century, a ship sank near the port and caused the river course to move gradually to the west. Two Islands formed: the Elephant Island (Geziret el-Feel) which resulted from siltation around the sunken ship, and Gezira Island which emerged further west. Later, the region around the Elephant Island silted further to form the area occupied today by the downtown.

The absolute power of the Mamelouk effectively ended in the Fifteenth Century through major changes in the world political scene. In 1488, Egypt's economy was struck badly by the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope. The Mamelouks were relying heavily on tax income from European trade to India. At the same time, a new world power, the Turkish Ottoman Empire, was emerging. The Ottomans had accomplished a major victory in 1453 by capturing Constantinople, which had never fallen to foreign invadors. In 1516, the Mamelouk Sultan Kansuh Al-Ghoury was defeated and killed in a battle against the Ottomans. A few months later, the Turkish army commanded by the Ottoman Sultan Selim entered Cairo, and the life of the last Mamelouk Sultan, Tooman Bay, was put to a brutal end.