The Sultan and His Ṣūfī Lodge: The Beginnings of the Ḫānaqāh of Siryāqūs

Among the many monuments built by the great 8th/14th-century Egyptian Mamluk sultan an-Nāṣir Muḥammad, the Ṣūfī lodge (ḫānaqāh) of Siryāqūs only survives in the name of a modern settlement. Based on mediaeval – if possible, contemporary – sources, this article explores the beginnings of the history of this particular institution, focusing on the context and motivation of its construction.