Movie about Mamluk Sultan Baybars in development

A novel about the famous Mamluk sultan Baybars has been released in Kazakhstan, and a filmed based on it is in development.

According to the Organisation of Asia-Pacific News Agency, Yermek Tursunov, who is a screen-writer and director, wrote the novel, entitled 'The Mamluk" over a six-year period. The work was originally going to be a screenplay, but according to Tursunov his plan changed as he wrote it. He said, "As I collected the material, the plot changed. At first I was to write a screenplay, which gradually turned into what it is now. People say that it is a novel, so I agree then. But it is not a screenplay any more."

Yermek Tursunov said that in order to write a good book, he needs to see everything with his own eyes and feel the spirit of the East. He was very interested in this theme. The pioneer in this subject was Moris Simashko and the “Sultan Baybars” film was based on the “Yemshan” story. But the film told about his mature years and the book by Yermek Tursunov presents the development of the famous ruler, who was dreaming of returning home. He always remembered his homeland. Everyone in the Mamluk army spoke Turkish. While Yermek was collecting his material, he visited Syria, Jordan and Egypt where Baybars ruled.

Murat Auyezov, a Kazakhstan culture expert, said "This novel is about events which happened in the 13th century. But at the same time it contains Chinese and Indian philosophy and Songs of the Old Testament."

The planned film-adaptation of the novel will be directed by Sergey Bodrov, who came to the presentation of the book from Los Angeles. He said, "We have been working for many years to shoot this film and I hope that we will succeed."

About 5000 copies of the books have been published so far, and an Arabic edition will be published in Syria.

Baybars, who died in 1277, was the Sultan of the Mamluk empire, which ruled Egypt and Syria. Baybars is famous for his leadership of the Mamluks against the Mongols and Crusaders.

Behind the Scenes of Warfare: Ottoman-Mamluk Relations

A University of Texas at Dallas professor studying ties between two important groups in Medieval Islamic history will pursue her research in Turkey under a fellowship from Koc University's Research Center for Anatolian Civilizations (RCAC).

Dr. Cihan Yuksel Muslu, assistant professor of arts and humanities, was awarded the full-time, nine-month fellowship to study Ottoman-Mamluk relations this fall.

"I am very excited, and have already begun planning my work," said Muslu. "It is such an honor to be awarded this fellowship, which is popular and prestigious in my field."

Muslu will devote full-time attention to writing and research of her topic, "Behind the Scenes of Warfare: Ottoman-Mamluk Relations," which was the subject of her doctoral dissertation.

The Mamluks were slave soldiers who converted to Islam and served the Muslim caliphs and the Ayyubid sultans from the 9th to the 16th centuries.

Muslu will present her work-in-progress in the form of an in-house talk during fall 2009, and participate in one of the public mini-symposia in the spring 2010 semester.

The fellowship consists of travel and relocation reimbursements, a research budget and partial living expenses for Muslu and her family, as well as a monthly stipend. Travel expenses for the presentation of papers at academic conferences during the period of Muslu's appointment are also covered.

"We'll miss Cihan's exemplary devotion to teaching, but we are fully confident that she will return to UT Dallas with a new wealth of knowledge to share with her students," said Dennis Kratz, dean of the School of Arts and Humanities.

Muslu wholeheartedly agrees that the experience will enhance her teaching.

"I am a strong believer that teaching and research are closely connected," said Muslu. "As I grow intellectually, thanks in part to this fellowship, I will become a better historian and hence a better teacher.

"The vibrant intellectual environment in the RCAC will contribute to this process. I will be surrounded by experts who are specializing in diverse aspects and periods of Anatolian/Middle Eastern studies, from history to archeology and art history. This interactive and interdisciplinary atmosphere will definitely enhance my understanding of and my teaching on the region."

Muslu's fellowship begins in mid-September. RCAC is located in the center of Beyoglu, a neighborhood of Istanbul, Turkey. Founded in 1993, Koc University is a private university in Turkey with a strong emphasis on research.