Monthly Archives: May 2018

Coda: The Map of Piri Reis, 1517 to 1929

Posted on May 9, 2018 by Ruth

In 1929, the Ottoman Empire was dissolved and the new nation of Turkey was going through painful rapid social changes under the leadership of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk. Most importantly, they were changing their writing system from Arabic script to Latin. … Continue reading →

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The End of Mamluk Egypt, 1492-1517

Posted on May 8, 2018 by Ruth

1492 was a very bad year in Egypt. It was a particularly bad plague visitation year, in a place with a large aging elite class. The only thing worse than thousands of geezers who still control everything and have all … Continue reading →

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Christian Egypt under Mamluk rule, 1382-1517

Posted on May 4, 2018 by Ruth

In earlier entries, you read about how the Mamluks, slaves raised to fight, became a ruling class with a complete bureaucracy as well as attempts to normalize into a hereditary monarchy. The Kipchak Turk Mamluks had their “Mafia” structure in … Continue reading →

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Gunpowder Empires, 1501-1524

Posted on May 3, 2018 by Ruth

We’ve traced the messy patchwork of changing power alliances in the sweep of Asian land between Turkey and China. In 1500, the patchwork was as shifting as ever, although the Ottoman piece grew larger and larger. On its eastern border, … Continue reading →

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