Competence, Corruption, and Patronage in Mamluk Egypt: The Career of Zayn ad-Dīn Yaḥyā

A significant portion of the monuments of Cairo date from the Circassian Mamluk period (1382–1517) during which the sultans, as well as members of the military and civilian elites, erected numerous spectacular religious complexes. These buildings were meant to display the patrons’ piety and generosity and, alongside various other functions, often housed their tombs. Among the extant Mamluk monuments in Cairo, three were commissioned by Zayn ad-Dīn Yaḥyā (d. 1469), who, as the article demonstrates, was a particularly influential officer of the Mamluk state.