33 - Rise of the Mamluks

For nearly six centuries, an empire of slave soldiers dominated the Muslim world and stopped all conquerors.  The era of the Mamluks was one of contradictions - a time of constant instability but of great economic, scientific and artistic achievement.  Leaders who struggled to hold onto their own positions struck fear in the nations around them.  In this episode we look at the system that, for better and worse, would shape the Muslim world for centuries.