Baybars
Baybars
an Arabic novel (author unknown). Several manuscripts exist, most dating from the 18th century. The novel is written in the Egyptian dialect. It was exceptionally popular. The principal hero is al-Zahir Sayf-al-Din al-Salihi Baybars, a sultan of the Mameluke dynasty (reign 1260–77). His service in the court of Sultan Salih al-Ayyub is described at the outset of the novel; after al-Ayyub’s death, Baybars takes part in bringing the sultan’s son to the throne. Subsequent sections deal with Baybars’ adventures in new sultanates and his military exploits in Syria and elsewhere. The complete novel (in 50 parts) was published in Cairo in 1908–09.
REFERENCES
Krymskii, A. Istoriia arabov i arabskoi literatury . . . , part 1. Moscow, 1911.Ahlwardt, W. Verzeichnis der arabischen Handschriften, vol. 8. Berlin, 1896. (Pie Handschriften-Verzeichnisse der Königlichen Bibliothek zu Berlin, vol. 20.)