Economic and Political Changes in Egypt and Syria During the Burji Mamluk Rule (1382-1517)

The reign of Burji Mamluks (1382 – 1517) left an essential mark in the history of Egypt and Syria, as well as the whole Middle East. Having received from their predecessors, the Bahri Mamluks (1250 – 1382), a prosperous and strong state, the representatives of the Burji dynasty at the beginning of their rule contributed a lot to its development, but then they failed in confronting external enemies and coping with the economic crisis. Therefore, they lost the confidence of their population, and it led to the descent of Mamluks' empire and its conquest by the Ottomans. This paper provides information on the political and economic changes in Egypt and Syria, which occurred during the Burji Mamluk rule. Twenty-five studies in English, Russian, and Arabic on the topic of Burji Mamluk rule were examined, including the following works: “Egypt. Middle Ages. New time” by Eugene Zelenev, “Salah ad-Din and the Mamluks in Egypt” by Lidiya Semenova, “Damascus in Mamluk times” by Nicola A. Ziadeh, “The Mamluks in Egyptian and Syrian politics and society” by Michael Winter and Amalia Levanoni, and other studies. The purpose of the paper was to make a research on the economic and political changes during the reign of the Burji Mamluk dynasty in Syria and Egypt. A characteristic of the political regime of Burji Mamluks was given, their military campaigns were analysed, the state structure and political changes were examined, and economic changes in Egypt and Syria under Burji Mamluks were studied.