| Summary: | Egypt and Syria were in the hands of the Abi Princes among whom was al-Sälih Ayyub the ruler of Egypt. His death in 121.9 A. D. brought about a situation in which his mamluks, (elite guard of slave origin) assumed power. Although Baibars was not the first of this group to become head of state, his great contribution to the establishment of their rule, ranks hire as the true, founder of the Mamlük State. Important as his reign was, comparatively little study of it has been undertaken. The reason for this is, in part at least, owing to the absence of complete first-hand material on which such a study could be based. Until recently, only a portion of the biography of Baibars, written by his Secretary for State Correspondence, Muhyi al-Din ibn `Abd al-Zahir was known. But now an almost complete manuscript of this biography has been discovered, and a critical edition of it is here presented together with an English translation, notes and introduction.
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