The Role of the Islamic Factor in the Daily Life of the Ruling Elite of Ottoman Egypt in the Second Half of the 18th Century

This article focuses on the religious practices of the ruling elite of Ottoman Egypt in the second half of the 18th century. The interest in this unstudied topic stems from the paradoxical situation that developed in the Egyptian Eyalet, one of the most important and authoritative religious and cultural centers of the Ottoman Empire. The majority of the autochthonous population were supporters of the Islamic faith, but the Egyptian ruling elite was reproduced at the expense of foreigners from Christian families. Accordingly, most of them were introduced to Islamic values only from the moment they entered the country. The main content of the study is the analysis of the peculiarities of spiritual and moral-value orientations of the ruling emirs of Egypt, as well as the study of the main forms of their daily religious practices. On the basis of the study of a wide range of sources it was established that the system of religious views prevailing in their community was a vivid example of religious syncretism, which included elements of Sunni Islam, Sufism, as well as folk traditions, superstitions and cults. As a result of the studies, the author concludes that the new generation of Egyptian military and political elite, that came to power in Egypt in the mid-18th century, was less sensitive to matters of religious faith than their predecessors. Nevertheless, Islam continued to play an important role in their everyday life, influencing their conduct patterns.

Keywords

Ottoman Egypt, power elites, Mamluk emirs, Egyptian ulama, Sufi orders, Islamic religious leaders

Acknowledgment

The article was prepared as part of the Lomonosov Moscow State University research projects “Religious Systems of Asia: Tradition and Modernity”.

Received

31.07.2023

Publication date

20.11.2023

Number of characters

59475

Cite

GOST	Smirnov V. The Role of the Islamic Factor in the Daily Life of the Ruling Elite of Ottoman Egypt in the Second Half of the 18th Century // ISTORIYA – 2023. – V. 14. – Issue 10 (132) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840028526-7-1 (circulation date: 08.07.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028526-7
MLA	Smirnov, Valerii "The Role of the Islamic Factor in the Daily Life of the Ruling Elite of Ottoman Egypt in the Second Half of the 18th Century." ISTORIYA 14.10 (132) (2023) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028526-7
APA	Smirnov V. (2023). The Role of the Islamic Factor in the Daily Life of the Ruling Elite of Ottoman Egypt in the Second Half of the 18th Century. ISTORIYA 14(10 (132)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840028526-7

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