Mamluk

Behind the Book:

Mamluk, a novel by renowned screenwriter and director Ermek Tursunov, tells the story of al-Zahir Baybars – the legendary 13th-century Sultan of Egypt during the era of the Arab Caliphate. The book is the culmination of many years of the author’s research into the history of the Middle East during the early Middle Ages.

It was during this pivotal period in the fate of the Arab world and Islam that the star of Baybars began to rise. A native of the Great Steppe, he was known to his contemporaries and fellow believers as Rukn ad-Din, or “Founder of the Faith.” Each line of the novel contains traces of wanderings along the paths of biblical elders, prophets, holy martyrs of faith. Each word echoes the breath of distant times, imprinted on the pages of ancient manuscripts and the works of modern historians, theologians, and religious scholars. These sources were reference points for the author in forming his unique perspective on this legendary Turk and crafting a vivid literary portrait of his life. The novel does not claim to be a scholarly work. Using literary means, the author is artistically inventive and psychologically convincing in his recreations of the most important biographical milestones and personal traits of the hero, who went through a dramatic path – from a disenfranchised slave and ordinary warrior to a powerful ruler and victorious commander. Mamluk offers the thoughtful reader a wealth of material for personal reflection on the themes and questions it explores.