Glimpses from the Cairo Geniza on Naval Warfare in the Mediterranean and on the Mongol Invasions

Glimpses from the Cairo Geniza on Naval Warfare in the Mediterranean and on the Mongol Invasions

By S.D. Goitien

Studi Orientalistic in onore di Levi Della Vida, Vol. 1 (1956)

Introduction: Among the many and variegated fields of research cultivated by the revered master to whom this volume is dedicated there is one which is particularly characteristic of a scholar who lives with manuscripts and, at the same time, is endowed with a keen sense of history: the publication of contemporary reports on historical events. Thus no student of Middle Eastern history would consent to miss such an excellent source of information as the eyewitness report of a Turkish officer who took part in the battle between Mongols and Mamluks at ‘Ain Galut, September 1260, outstandingly brought to light by Professor Levi Della Vida. As a small token of gratitude and admiration, three fragments of letters from the Cairo Geniza are published her, which also contain references to military events.

Click here to read this article from De Re Militari