Introduction

Abstract

Although the Mamluks have had a great impact on the Egyptian collective memory and, in particular, modern Egyptian thought, to date, the subject has hardly been researched seriously. One possible explanation for this phenomenon is that the existing scholars have given too much prominence to stereotypical negative representation of the Mamluks in Egyptian historical works. However, many Egyptian historians and intellectuals presented the Mamluk era positively, and even symbolized the Sultans as national icons. The present study aims to shed light on this heretofore-neglected positive dimension of the historical memory of the Mamluks, and thereby seriously address the way in which Egyptian historians and intellectuals utilized the historical memory of the Mamluks for their own political and ideological purposes.