The Abu Ya'qub–al-Nasir Muhammad embassy exchange
مهاداة السلطان أبي يعقوب والناصر محمد بن قلاوون
1304 CE · 703 AH
When Abu Ya'qub's Marinid kingship ran steady and the roads mended, he licensed the Maghrebis' first sea-hajj in years for 703 — having a splendid mushaf transcribed by Ahmad ibn Hasan the master scribe, bound with gold clasps set in ordered pearls and rubies and endowed to the Sacred Mosque — sent with the pilgrims a Zanata guard near five hundred under qadi Muhammad ibn Raghbush, and a gift of Barb horses and four hundred rare mounts to al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun; the Egyptian sultan, pleased, gathered marvels of his lands — garments, an elephant and a giraffe — and sent them by Amir al-Tilili, leaving Cairo at the end of 705 and reaching the sultan's court at the Mansura of Fes Jdid in Jumada II 706, and the sultan rejoiced at their coming and mounted.
At a glance
- Era
- The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
- Region
- Maghreb · Egypt & Nile
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
Overview
Between 703 and 706 AH the sultan Abu Ya'qub al-Marini and al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun exchanged gifts and embassies. 1
The gift from the Maghrib
In 703 AH Abu Ya'qub allowed the people of the Maghrib to make the pilgrimage by ship. He sent a fine copy of the Qur'an written by Ahmad ibn Hasan the scribe and endowed it to the Holy Sanctuary. He sent with the pilgrims a garrison of about five hundred men from the Zanata, under the judge Muhammad ibn Raghbush. He presented al-Nasir with noble horses and mounts, said to number four hundred. 1
The gift from Egypt
Al-Nasir gathered the rare goods of his lands, cloths and animals, among them an elephant and a giraffe, and sent them with the amir al-Tulaytili. He left Cairo at the end of 705 AH and reached al-Mansura near the new city in Jumada al-Akhira 706 AH. 1
Connections
- Had participant
- أبو يعقوب يوسف المريني
People and things also explored
Sources
- Kitab al-Ibar of Ibn Khaldun
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The Abu Ya'qub–al-Nasir Muhammad embassy exchange”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/marinid-mamluk-embassy-706/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.