Between Central Asia and the Middle East – The Military Aspect of the Mongol–Mamluk Struggle
Lecture on the military conflict between the Mongols and the Mamluks at the Museum for Islamic Art. We will examine the strategies, tactics, and structure of medieval armies.
Lecture on the military conflict between the Mongols and the Mamluks at the Museum for Islamic Art. We will examine the strategies, tactics, and structure of medieval armies.
Additional Details
In the 13th century, the Mongol Empire brought about a dramatic shift in the balance of power in the Muslim world, reaching as far as the Middle East. Facing the Mongols’ military might was the Mamluk Sultanate, which became one of the region’s central military powers.
In this lecture, we will examine the Mongol–Mamluk conflict as a case study for understanding the world of medieval warfare: How did the Mongol armies operate? What lay behind their remarkable successes? And how did the Mamluks manage to halt their expansion into the Middle East?
We will discuss combat strategies and tactics, cavalry and archers, the structure of the armies, and the importance of the geographic environment—from the steppes of Central Asia to the Middle East.
Prof. Reuven Amitai is Professor Emeritus of Middle Eastern History at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and currently serves as head of the Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish Communities in the East. His research focuses on the Mamluk state, the arrival of the Mongols in the Middle East, and the history of the Land of Israel in the Middle Ages.
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