The Iqtā’ System in Egypt or the Backbone of the Mamluk Sultanate

There should be two concerns implied when a symmetrical history of the Crusades is put forward. First is to expressively study the Muslim document set and secondly the relationship of the historical agents with the environment is to be considered. In this paper we discuss the iqtā’ system and its simultaneous role in maintaining power balance and in ensuring effective exploitation of natural resources within the Mamluk Sultanate. We have selected the narratives of two Mamluk chroniclers to support our discussion. These narratives are about sultan Qalāwūn undertaking efforts, in 682/1283, to open an irrigation canal in al-Buhayra in the Nile River Delta. This discussion aims to criticize the mistake of considering the Sultanate incapable of dealing with problems such as droughts and famines. In addition, it examines how the sultans coped with their internal political problems, like the nomadic opposition and other dissidence. These challenges coexisted at the same time that confronting the last enclaves Crusaders in Syria and responding the Mongol growing threat was needed.