Social Mobility and Political Power: Turkification Processes in the Mamluk Sultanate

In the Mamluk Sultanate there were opportunities for social advancement of individuals who adopted Turkish cultural features. This phenomenon, which may be designated Turkification or Mamlukization, has received little attention in Mamluk studies, even though it played a significant role in social mobility throughout the Sultanate. Turkification in the context of this article applies to the embracing of cultural markers and practices that were common among the ruling elite—the atrāk—and identified with it.