{"product_id":"9780857735416","title":"Practising Diplomacy in the Mamluk Sultanate: Gifts and Material Culture in the Medieval Islamic World","description":"Elaborate and sensational gifts were the hallmark of Mamluk diplomacy. From Cairo, where they controlled the medieval spice trade and the holy sites of Christianity and Islam, the Mamluk Sultans - conscious of their humble slave origins - augmented their claims to legitimacy through brilliant displays of diplomatic gift-giving, creating a celebrated reputation for the Sultanate from Europe to the Far East. From spices, ceremonial textiles and military objects to elephants and giraffes, and even humans - either living or as severed heads - the offerings varied in combination and emphasis according to the status and circumstances of giver and receiver, but always created a sensation. Through an unparalleled study of primary sources and rigorous fieldwork, this original book - richly illustrated in colour - explores the unpredictable and nuanced art of the regal gift in the Mamluk Sultanate from 1250-1517.  Doris Behrens-Abouseif not only provides the first study of this subject, but makes an important contribution to the study of diplomacy, economics, visual arts and material culture in the medieval period.","brand":"I.B.Tauris","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47130602635504,"sku":"9780857735416","price":14.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9780857735416_p0.jpg?v=1763830255","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9780857735416","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}