Images of the Armenians in Arabic sources from the Mamluk period: the Mufaḍḍal case. This article proposes a «case study» on representations of the Armenians in Arabic sources in Mamluk times, by focusing on various narratives of the conquest of the Armenian fortress of Hṙomkla/Qal‘at al-Rūm («The Castle of the Romans/Byzantines» but also «of the Christians» tout court) in 1292. Qalʻat al-Rūm was very important both strategically (due its position on the Euphrates) and symbolically, as it was the seat of the Armenian catholicos. Therefore, its conquest, resulting into the capture of the catholicos, was celebrated enthusiastically, and the Sultan emblematically changed the city’s name into Qal‘at al-Muslimīn («The Castle of theMuslims»). In this article, a comparison will be made between different representations of this crucial episode in Arabic and Armenian sources, especially focusing on the «case» of an Arab Christian writer, the Coptic Mufaḍḍal Ibn Abī l-Faḍā’il (d. after 1358), thus shedding new light on the latter’s complex and original system of ideological representations. Key-Words: Wars between Armenians and Mamluks, Kingdom of Cilicia, Hṙomkla/Qal‘at al-Rūm, Mufaḍḍal Ibn Abī l-Faḍā’il, Arab historiography of the Mamluk period, Coptic Arab historiography
Il presente articolo propone uno «studio di caso» delle modalità di rappresentazione degli Armeni nelle fonti arabe di età mamelucca: un confronto tra diverse narrazioni della conquista della fortezza armena di Hṙomkla/Qal‘at al-Rūm («Castello dei Romani/Bizantini» ma anche «dei cristiani» tout court) nel 1292. Qalʻat al-Rūm era molto importante sia strategicamente (per la sua posizione sull’Eufrate) sia simbolicamente, in quanto sede del catholicos degli Armeni. La sua conquista, che portò alla cattura dello stesso catholicos, fu dunque celebrata con entusiasmo, e il Sultano diede alla città un nuovo, emblematico nome: Qalʻat al-Muslimīn («Castello dei Musulmani»). Nel presente articolo, si tenterà dunque un confronto tra le rappresentazioni di quest’episodio cruciale in fonti arabe ed armene, dedicando specifica attenzione al «caso» di uno scrittore arabo cristiano, il copto Mufaḍḍal Ibn Abī l-Faḍā’il (m. post 1358), ed all’analisi del suo complesso e originale sistema di rappresentazioni ideologiche.
Giuseppe Cecere (2018). Immagini degli Armeni nelle fonti arabe di età mamelucca. Il caso Mufaddal. MÉLANGES DE L'ÉCOLE FRANÇAISE DE ROME. ITALIE ET MÉDITERRANÉE, 130-1(1), 21-40.
Immagini degli Armeni nelle fonti arabe di età mamelucca. Il caso Mufaddal.
Giuseppe Cecere
2018
Abstract
Images of the Armenians in Arabic sources from the Mamluk period: the Mufaḍḍal case. This article proposes a «case study» on representations of the Armenians in Arabic sources in Mamluk times, by focusing on various narratives of the conquest of the Armenian fortress of Hṙomkla/Qal‘at al-Rūm («The Castle of the Romans/Byzantines» but also «of the Christians» tout court) in 1292. Qalʻat al-Rūm was very important both strategically (due its position on the Euphrates) and symbolically, as it was the seat of the Armenian catholicos. Therefore, its conquest, resulting into the capture of the catholicos, was celebrated enthusiastically, and the Sultan emblematically changed the city’s name into Qal‘at al-Muslimīn («The Castle of theMuslims»). In this article, a comparison will be made between different representations of this crucial episode in Arabic and Armenian sources, especially focusing on the «case» of an Arab Christian writer, the Coptic Mufaḍḍal Ibn Abī l-Faḍā’il (d. after 1358), thus shedding new light on the latter’s complex and original system of ideological representations. Key-Words: Wars between Armenians and Mamluks, Kingdom of Cilicia, Hṙomkla/Qal‘at al-Rūm, Mufaḍḍal Ibn Abī l-Faḍā’il, Arab historiography of the Mamluk period, Coptic Arab historiographyI documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.