Historical Sciences Studies

The Extractive Economy of the Burji Mamluks (784–923 AH): Political Dominance over Non-Territorial Financial Resources in Egypt and the Levant

Articles in Press

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

Alireza Ashtari Tafreshi 1
Reza Jahanshahlou 2
Eftekhar Gasemzadeh 2

1 Assistant Professor of the Department of Islamic Philosophy and Theology, Facullty of Theology and Islamic Studies, Allameh Tabataba`i University, Tehran, Iran.

2 Graduate Master, Department of History of Culture and Civilization of Islamic Nations, Faculty of Islamic Sciences and Research Imam Khomeini International University, Qazvin, Iran.

https://doi.org/10.22059/jhss.2026.407139.473875
Abstract
Facing a structural decline in the traditional Iqta system and recurrent exogenous shocks—including plague, famine, and external military threats—the Burji Mamluk state increasingly relied on non-territorial revenue streams to sustain its military hegemony. Utilizing an 'extractive political economy' framework, this study analyzes the mechanisms through which Mamluk sultans exerted control over six primary non-agrarian financial sources: endowments (Awqaf), arbitrary levies (Makūs), state monopolies, the sale of offices (Bay’ al-Waza’if), the Diwan al-Mufrad, and monetary manipulation via the mint. The research evaluates the extent to which these fiscal practices diverged from the normative principles of Islamic political economy, specifically regarding justice, anti-hoarding injunctions , and administrative probity. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology grounded in primary historical chronicles, the findings demonstrate that sultans (notably Barquq and Barsbay) transformed these resources into instruments of state capture . While practices such as the institutionalization of corruption , strategic monopolies on sugar and spices , and the sale of high offices (reaching up to 32,000 dinars) provided short-term liquidity for the military elite, they triggered long-term systemic pathologies . These included artificial inflation , capital flight, and a profound loss of public legitimacy, which ultimately accelerated the economic and political collapse of the Mamluk Sultanate .

Keywords

Burji Mamluks
Extractive Political Economy
State Monopoly
Sale of Office
Makūs
Economic Justice
Subjects
Historical Sciences Studies

Articles in Press, Accepted Manuscript
Available Online from 09 February 2026

Home

Journal Metrics

Contact Us