Investigating Aspects of Competitive Sports and Cultural Entertainment in Mamluk Era Egypt

Abstract

One Of The Most Important Social And Cultural Issues In Any Society Is The Variety Of Games And Entertainment. Mamluks In Egypt Were Willing And Enthusiastic In Starting Many Of These Games Despite Their Attention And Importance To Their Games And Entertainment. The Mamluk Rulers In Egypt, Despite Paying Attention To Their Social And Private Entertainments, Played A Role In The Prosperity Of These Entertainments For Various Reasons. Cairo Was The Magnificent Capital Of The Mamluks With Its Important History, A Center Of Social Splendor And Various Activities Including Festivals And Games. The Existence Of Some Iranian Games And Their Prosperity In The Abbasid Court, And Then Their Performance And Importance In Egypt During The Mamluk Era, Showed The Desire Of The Egyptian People For These Entertainments. Polo, Horse Racing, Chess And Backgammon, Nowruz Eid, Mehrgan Eid, Islamic Holidays Such As Fitro, Eid Al-Adha And All These Magnificent Ceremonies Show The Variety Of Aspects Of The Game In This Period. The Findings Of The Research Showed That The Diversity And Prosperity Of All Kinds Of Entertainments And Recreations For The Desire And Attention Of The Mamluk Sultans, As Well As The Effects And Characteristics Of The City Of Cairo, Were Very High.