the Hippodrome of Alexandria
الملعب بالإسكندرية
Alexandria's ancient hippodrome, where a yearly festival threw a ball whose lucky catcher took the kingship; Amr ibn al-As (may God be pleased with him) attended it in the jahiliyya and the ball fell into his sleeve — 'the custom is annulled, such a man cannot be made king' — and on its site the Banu Khulayf raised their famous palace 1.
At a glance
- Era
- Pre-Islamic Arabia
- Region
- Egypt & Nile
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Overview
Al-Mal'ab ("the playing field") is an ancient site in Alexandria, where its people held a festival every year. A ball was thrown there, and whoever it fell into the sleeve of was made king. 2
The episode of Amr ibn al-As
Al-Umari reports that Amr ibn al-As attended it in the Jahiliyya, and the ball fell into his sleeve. They said that the custom had been abolished, because such a thing cannot be owned. 2
The site afterwards
On the site of this playing field, the Banu Khalif built their palace, which is named after them. It is in Alexandria. 2
Connections
- Located in
- Alexandria
- Related to
- Amr ibn al-As
People and things also explored
The Conquest of Alexandria· The Roman Recapture of Alexandria and Its Recovery from Manuel· Amud al-Sawari (Pompey's Pillar)· Amr's Dismissal and Ibn Abi Sarh's Sole Charge of Egypt· The Battle of Dathin· The Battle of Uhud· The Conquest of Caesarea· The Conquest of Damascus
Sources
- Masalik al-absar fi mamalik al-amsar — al-Umari (1924 printing), p. 241-242
- Masalik al-absar fi mamalik al-amsar — al-Umari (1924 printing), p.241-242
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “the Hippodrome of Alexandria”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/place/malab-iskandariyya/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.