Introduction

Baybars, his predecessor, had conquered large swaths of territory, but the fractious nature of Mamluk succession, and the weak character of his sons who briefly succeeded him, frittered many of these conquests away. It was not until almost to the end of Qalawun’s ten-year rule that he was finally able to rule both Egypt and Syria completely. Treatment of Baybars’ feckless sons by Ibn al-Furat is quite critical but abbreviated, and he leaves the reader with the impression that they are unworthy of their great father. Virtually no events from the outside world, with the exception of the murder of the pervane in 676/1278, are noted for this two-year period. Unlike either Ibn 'Abd al-zahir or Baybars, Ibn al-Furat is not given to excessive citation of poetry in his narrative. Stylistically, Ibn al-Furat is annalistic, but offers the reader “bridges” for long-term developments by stating that a given topic either is continued later or picks up on earlier developments.