Muslim Fortresses in the Levant: Between Crusaders and Mongols (64 page)

The timing of this conquest is not difficult to explain. The sultan was exploiting the military momentum gained after the victory over the Franks in Acre and the new political situation created with the final destruction of the Crusader kingdom.

A letter addressed to the High Council (
al-majlis al-sāmi
), and to the honorable
gives an account of the siege and describes
as the gate to the lands east of the Euphrates.
¹³³
The letter was distributed throughout the Sultanate, announcing the sultan’s victory and future plans. It ends with a statement that indicates al-Ashraf Khalīl’s ambitions.

¹³⁴

And this is what will be after this conquest, if God wills, I shall conquer the East, Rūm and Iraq, and rule the lands from the east where the sun rises to the west where it sets.

The location of
made it an important acquisition. Above all, this Euphrates crossing was a link between east and west. A network of roads along and across the river had existed for centuries and had served empires and kingdoms from the earliest times.
¹³⁵
The decision indicates a shift in Mamluk policy; until then the Sultanate had seldom sent its armies across the Euphrates, except for a number of raids.
was apparently to be the key to future conquests in the east. Al-Ashraf Khalīl was threatening the lands in the heart of the Īlkhānid state, hoping to reclaim Baghdad, and bring it back under Muslim rule.
¹³⁶

Table 3.2
Fortresses conquered by the Mamluks (see
Map 3.4
)