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{{other uses}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2012}}
{{Infobox royalty
| name            = Baibars
| title           =
| image           =
| caption         = 
| succession      = [[List of Mamluk sultans|Sultan of Egypt and Syria]]
| predecessor     = [[Saif ad-Din Qutuz]]
| successor       = [[Al-Said Barakah]]
| reign           = 24 October 1260 – 1 July 1277
| coronation      = 1260 at [[Salihiyya Madrasa|Salihiyah]]
| othertitles     = [[Sultan of Egypt]]
| full name       = al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baibars al-Bunduqdari Abu al-Futuh
| spouse          = 
| issue           = [[al-Said Barakah]]<br>[[Solamish]]
| house           = Zahiri
| dynasty         = [[Bahri dynasty|Bahri]]
| birth_date      = 19 July 1223
| birth_place     = [[Cumania]]
| death_date      = 1 July 1277 (aged 54)
| death_place     = [[Damascus]], [[Bahri dynasty|Mamluk Sultanate]]
| religion        = [[Sunni Islam]]
| ethnic          = [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]]
|}}
'''Baibars''' or '''Baybars''' ({{lang-ar|الملك الظاهر ركن الدين بيبرس البندقداري}}, ''al-Malik al-Ẓāhir Rukn al-Din Baibars al-Bunduqdar'') (1223 – 1 July 1277), of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] [[Kipchaks|Kipchak]] origin — nicknamed '''Abu al-Futuh''' and '''Abu l-Futuhat''' (Arabic: أبو الفتوح; English: ''Father of Conquest'', referring to his victories) — was the fourth [[Sultan of Egypt|Sultan]] of [[Egypt]] in the [[Mamluk]] [[Bahri dynasty]]. He was one of the commanders of the Egyptian forces that inflicted a defeat on the [[Seventh Crusade]] of King [[Louis IX of France]]. He also led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the [[Battle of Ain Jalut]] in 1260,<ref>The New Encyclopædia Britannica, Macropædia, H.H. Berton Publisher, 1973–1974, p.773/vol.2</ref> which marked the first substantial defeat of the [[Mongol Empire|Mongol]] army and is considered a turning point in history.<ref>The history of the Mongol conquests, By J. J. Saunders, pg. 115</ref>

The reign of Baibars marked the start of an age of Mamluk dominance in the [[Eastern Mediterranean]] and solidified the durability of their military system. He managed to pave the way for the end of the [[Crusader states|Crusader]] presence in the [[Levant]] and reinforced the union of Egypt and Syria as the region's pre-eminent Muslim state, able to fend off threats from both Crusaders and Mongols, and even managed to subdue the kingdom of [[Makuria]], which was famous for being unconquerable by previous Muslim empire invasion attempts. As Sultan, Baibars also engaged in a combination of diplomacy and military action, allowing the Mamluks of Egypt to greatly expand their empire.

==Name==

His name was derived from [[Kipchak languages|Kipchak Turkic]] ''[[wikt:bay#Turkish|bay]]'' ("chief") + ''[[wikt:pars#Turkish|bars]]'' ("panther").<ref name="Watenpaugh2004">{{cite book|author=Heghnar Zeitlian Watenpaugh|title=The Image Of An Ottoman City: Imperial Architecture And Urban Experience In Aleppo In The 16th And 17th Centuries|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=utQo4ek-7BIC&pg=PA198|year=2004|publisher=BRILL|isbn=90-04-12454-3|page=198}}</ref>

==Early life==
Baibars was born in the [[Desht-i Kipchak|Dasht-i Kipchak]]/[[Cumania]], between the Edil ([[Volga]]) and Yaiyk ([[Ural River|Ural]]) rivers, to the [[Cumans]]-[[Kipchaks]].<ref>[[Al-Maqrizi]], from the Berish tribe that currently lives in the Western part of Kazakhstan, Al Selouk Leme'refatt Dewall al-Melouk, p.520/vol.1</ref><ref>[[Ibn Taghri]], al-Nujum al-Zahirah Fi Milook Misr wa al-Qahirah, Year 675H /vol.7</ref><ref name="Humanity pp.71-87">[[Abu al-Fida]], The Concise History of Humanity, Tarikh Abu al-Fida pp.71-87/ year 676H</ref><ref>[[Ibn Iyas]] , Badai Alzuhur Fi Wakayi Alduhur, abridged and edited by Dr. M. Aljayar, Almisriya Lilkitab, Cairo 2007, ISBN 977-419-623-6 , p.91</ref><ref>Baibars in ''Concise Britannica Online'', [http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article?eu=382088 ''web page'']</ref><ref>Brief Article in ''Columbia Encyclopedia'', [http://www.bartleby.com/65/ba/Baybars1.html ''web page'']</ref> He was described as fair-skinned in contrast to the "swarthy" skin of the native Egyptians,<ref>{{cite book |last=Maalouf |first=Amin |year=1984 |title=The crusades through Arab eyes |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vQrjJQAACAAJ |publisher=Saqi Books |isbn=978-0-86356-023-1 |page=248}}</ref> broadfaced with small eyes, very tall which was typical in both Arabic and European descriptions of [[Turkic people|Turkic]] men, and had a [[cataract]] in one of his eyes.

It was said that he was captured by the Bulgars{{Citation needed|date=January 2010}} in the Kipchak steppe/[[Cumania]] and sold as a slave, ending up in [[Syria]]. Baibars was quickly sold to a [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk]] officer called Aydekin al bondouqdar and sent to [[Egypt]], where he became a bodyguard to the [[Ayyubid]] ruler [[As-Salih Ayyub]].

== Rise to power ==
[[File:EdwardICrusadeMap.jpg|thumb|The Mamluks under Baibars (yellow) fought off the Franks and the Mongols during the [[Ninth Crusade]].]]
Baibars was a commander of the Mamluks under the [[Ayyubid]]s. He was  particularly involved in a significant victory when he led the Egyptian army at the [[Battle of La Forbie]], also known as Battle of Harbiyyah, east of Gaza in 1244 in the aftermath of the [[Sixth Crusade]]. In around 1250 he defeated the [[Seventh Crusade]] of [[Louis IX of France]].  He was also involved in the [[Battle of Al Mansurah]], where he employed an ingenious strategy in ordering the opening of a gate to let the crusader knights enter the town; the crusaders rushed into the town that they thought was deserted to find themselves trapped inside. They were besieged from all directions by the Egyptian forces and the town population, and suffered heavy losses. Robert of Artois, who took refuge in a house,<ref>Lord of Joinville, 110, part II.</ref><ref>Asly, p. 49.<br>Skip Knox, ''Egyptian Counter-attack, The Seventh Crusade''.</ref> and William of Salisbury were both killed, along with most of the [[Knights Templar]]. Only five Templar Knights escaped alive.<ref>According to Matthew Paris, only 2 Templars, 1 Hospitaller and one ‘contemptible person’ escaped. Matthew Paris, ''LOUIS IX`S CRUSADE'', p. 14/ Vol. 5.</ref>

Baibars was still a commander under Sultan [[Qutuz]] at the [[Battle of Ain Jalut]] in 1260, when he decisively defeated the Mongols. After the battle, Sultan Qutuz (aka Koetoez) was assassinated while on a hunting expedition. It was said that Baibars was involved in the assassination because he expected to be rewarded with the governorship of [[Aleppo]] for his military success, but Qutuz, fearing his ambition, refused to give him the post.<ref>The story of the involvement of Baibars in the assassination was told by different historians in different ways. In one account the assassins killed Qutuz while he was giving a hand to Baibars  (Al-Maqrizi  and Ibn-Taghri). In another, from an Ayyubid source, Qutuz was giving a hand to someone when Baibars struck his back with a sword (Abu-Al-Fida). A third account mentioned that Baibars tried to help Qutuz against the assassins (O. Hassan). According to Al-Maqrizi, the Emirs who struck Qutuz were Badr ad-Din Baktut, Emir Ons, and Emir Bahadir al-Mu'izzi. (Al-Maqrizi, p.519/vol.1)</ref> Baibars succeeded Qutuz as Sultan of Egypt.<ref>MacHenry, Robert. ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 1993. [https://books.google.com/books?id=QKguAAAAMAAJ&q=baybars+qutuz+aleppo&dq=baybars+qutuz+aleppo&pgis=1 ''Baibars'']</ref>

== Sultan of Egypt ==
Once Baibars had ascended to the Sultanate, his authority was soon confirmed without any serious resistance, except from [[Sinjar al-Halabi]], another Mamluk [[amir]] who was popular and powerful enough to claim [[Damascus]]. Also, the threat from the Mongols was still serious enough to be considered as a threat to Baibars' authority. However, Baibars first chose to deal with Sinjar,{{clarify|date=March 2017}} and marched on Damascus. At the same time the princes of [[Hama]] and [[Homs]] proved able to defeat the Mongols in the [[First Battle of Homs]], which lifted the Mongol threat for a while. On 17 January 1261, Baibars' forces were able to rout the troops of Sinjar outside Damascus, and pursued the attack to the city, where the citizens were loyal to Sinjar and resisted Baibars, although their resistance was soon crushed.

After suppressing the revolt of Sinjar, Baibars then managed to deal with the [[Ayyubid]]s, while quietly eliminating the prince of Kerak. Ayyubids such as [[Al-Ashraf Musa, Emir of Homs]] and the Ayyubid Emir Dynasty of Hama (presumably [[Al-Afdal Muhammad]]), who had earlier staved off the Mongol threat, were permitted to continue their rule in exchange for their recognizing Baibars' authority as Sultan.<ref name="books.google.co.id">[https://books.google.co.id/books?id=mrw8AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA315&dq=baibars+first+homs&hl=en&sa=X&ei=RhXbVLXTNZGJuwSgg4DIBg&ved=0CB0Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=baibars%20homs&f=false {{cite book | last = Runciman | first = Steven | year=1987 |title = '''A History of the Crusades: The Kingdom of Acre and the Later Crusades''' quoting Magrisi Sultans, I, i, p. 116; Abu al Fida pp. 145–50; Bar Hebraeus p. 439 |page = 316 }}]</ref>

After the [[Abbasid caliphate]] in Iraq was overthrown by the Mongols in 1258 when they conquered and [[Siege of Baghdad (1258) | sacked Baghdad]], the Sunni Muslim world lacked a [[caliph]], a theoretically supreme leader who had sometimes used his office to endow distant Muslim rulers with legitimacy by sending them writs of investiture. Thus, when the Abbasid refugee Abu al-Qasim Ahmad, the uncle of the last Abbasid caliph [[Al-Musta'sim | al-Musta‘sim]], arrived in Cairo in 1261, Baibars had him proclaimed caliph as [[Al-Mustansir (Cairo) | al-Mustansir II]] and duly received investiture as sultan from him. Unfortunately, al-Mustansir II was killed by the Mongols during an ill-advised expedition to recapture Baghdad from the Mongols later in the same year. In 1262, another Abbasid, allegedly the great-great-great grandson of the Caliph [[al-Mustarshid]], Abu al-‘Abbas Ahmad, who had survived from the defeated expedition, was proclaimed caliph as [[al-Hakim I]], inaugurating the line of Abbasid caliphs of Cairo that continued as long as the [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo) | Mamluk sultanate]], until 1517. Like his unfortunate predecessor, al-Hakim I also received the formal oath of alliegance of Baibars and provided him with legitimation. While most of the Muslim world did not take these caliphs seriously, as they were mere instruments of the sultans, they still lent a certain legitimation as well as a decorative element to their rule. <ref name= "books.google.co.id"/>

=== Campaign against the Crusaders ===
{{Further| Siege of Antioch (1268)}}
As sultan, Baibars engaged in a lifelong struggle against the Crusader kingdoms in [[Syria]], in part because the Christians had aided the Mongols. He started with the [[Principality of Antioch]], which had become a vassal state of the Mongols and had participated in attacks against Islamic targets in Damascus and Syria. In 1263, Baibars laid siege to [[Acre, Israel|Acre]], the capital of the remnant of the [[Kingdom of Jerusalem]], although the siege was abandoned when he sacked [[Nazareth]] instead.<ref>[https://books.google.co.id/books?id=taJZ433OqJIC&pg=PA7&dq=baibars+acre+1263&hl=en&sa=X&ei=sC3bVNnsE9WhugT4s4DQCg&ved=0CD4Q6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=baibars%20acre%201263&f=false {{cite book | last =Dalrymple | first =William | year=2004 |title =In Xanadu |page = 320 }}]</ref> He used siege engines to defeat the Crusaders in battles such as the [[Fall of Arsuf]] from March 21 to April 30. After breaking into the town he offered free passage to the defending Knights Hospitallers if they surrendered their formidable citadel. The Knights accepted Baibars' offer but were enslaved anyway.<ref>Rodney Stark, 'God's Battalions', 2009, p. 230</ref>  Baibars razed the castle to the ground.<ref>[https://books.google.co.id/books?id=sH0YqXERz1wC&pg=PT96&dq=baibars+arsuf&hl=en&sa=X&ei=ncHcVJ6SFcHkuQS-joHQBg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=baibars%20arsuf&f=false {{cite book | last = | first = | year=1987 |title = '''The Crusaders in the East''' quoting El-Aini ii. 220; Makrizi i, ii. 8 |page = 338 }}]</ref> He next attacked [[Athlith]] and [[Haifa]], where he captured both towns after destroying the crusaders' resistance, and razed the citadels.<ref>[https://books.google.co.id/books?id=ATo9AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA338&dq=baibars+athlith&hl=en&sa=X&ei=Ah3bVOwrxea5BOWBgrAM&ved=0CBsQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=baibars%20athlith&f=false {{cite book | last = | first = | year=1987 |title = '''The Crusaders in the East''' quoting El-Aini ii. 220; Makrizi i, ii. 8 |page = 338 }}]</ref>

In the same year Baibars laid siege to the fortress of [[Safad]], held by the [[Templar]] knights, which had been conquered by [[Saladin]] in 1188 but returned to the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1240. Baibars promised the knights safe passage to the Christian town of Acre if they surrendered their fortress. Badly outnumbered, the knights agreed. When they left the fortress Baibars had each and every knight beheaded, continuing a pattern of cruelty and treachery.<ref>Thomas Madden, A Concise History of the Crusades, 1991, p. 181</ref> On capturing Safed, Baibars did not raze the fortress to the ground but fortified and repaired it instead, as it was strategically situated and well constructed. He installed a new governor in Safed, with the rank of ''Wali''<ref>[https://books.google.co.id/books?id=NBBMJJTEoKMC&pg=PA165&dq=baibars+safed&hl=en&sa=X&ei=xsPbVL-BDYiIuASygYLgCA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=baibars%20safed&f=false {{cite book | last = Winter, Evanoni | first = Michael, Amalia | year=2005 |title = The Mamluks in Egyptian and Syrian Politics and Society quoting Izz Al Din bin Shaddad, tarikh al malik al zahir; Muqaddasi, Ahsan al Taqasim fii Ma'rifat Al Taqalim; Abdul Qadir bin Muhammad al Nu'aymi al Daris fii tarikh al Madaris |pages = 163–165 }}]</ref>

Later, in 1266, Baibars invaded the Christian country of [[Cilician Armenia]] which, under King [[Hethum I]], had submitted to the Mongol Empire. After defeating the forces of Hethum I in the [[Battle of Mari]], Baibars managed to ravage the three great cities of  [[Mamistra]], [[Adana]] and [[Tarsus, Mersin|Tarsus]], so that when Hetoum arrived with Mongol troops, the country was already devastated. Hetoum had to negotiate the return of his son [[Leo II, King of Armenia|Leo]] by giving control of Armenia's border fortresses to the Mamluks. In 1269, Hetoum abdicated in favour of his son and became a monk, but he died a year later.<ref>[[Claude Mutafian]], p.60</ref> Leo was left in the awkward situation of keeping Cilicia as a subject of the Mongol Empire, while at the same time paying tribute to the Mamluks.<ref>Bournotian, ''A Concise History of the Armenian People'', p. 101</ref>

This isolated Antioch and Tripoli, led by Hethum's son-in-law, Prince [[Bohemond VI]]. After successfully conquering Cilicila, Baibars in 1267 settled his unfinished business with Acre, and continued the extermination of remaining crusader garrisons in the following years. In 1268, he [[Siege of Antioch (1268)|besieged Antioch]], capturing the city on 18 May. Baibars had promised to spare the lives of the inhabitants, but he broke his promise and had the city razed, killing or enslaving much of the population after the surrender.<ref>[http://www.americanoutlook.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=article_detail&id=1474 Hudson Institute > American Outlook > American Outlook Article Detail<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> prompting the fall of the [[Principality of Antioch]]. The [[Siege of Antioch (1268)|massacre of men, women, and children at Antioch]] "was the single greatest massacre of the entire crusading era."<ref>Thomas F. Madden, ''The Concise History of the Crusades'' (3rd ed. 2014), p. 168</ref> Priests had their throats slit inside their churches, and women were sold into slavery.<ref>Madden, ''supra'' at 168.</ref>

Then he continued to [[Jaffa, Israel|Jaffa]], which belonged to Guy, the son of John of Ibelin. Jaffa fell to Baibars on 7 March after twelve hours of fighting; most of Jaffa's citizens were slain, but Baibars allowed the garrison to go unharmed.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.co.id/books?id=2dsycrclykIC&pg=PA577&dq=Jaffa+baibars&hl=en&sa=X&ei=L7fcVPjzI4HiuQTf7IDQDg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Jaffa%20baibars&f=false | last = | first = |title = The Later Crusades, 1189–1311|publisher=Univ of Wisconsin Press|year=1969|isbn= 9780299048440|page = 557 }}</ref> After this he conquered [[Ashkalon]] and [[Caesarea Maritima|Caesarea]].

=== Diplomacy with Golden Horde ===
In some time around October to November 1267, or about 666 Safar of [[Hijra year]], Baibars wrote condolences and congratulations to the new Khan of the [[Golden Horde]], [[Mengu-Timur]], to urge him to fight Abaqa. Despite the failure to incite infighting between the Golden Horde and [[Ilkhanate]], Baibars continued to conduct warm correspondence with the Golden Horde, particularly with Mengu Timur's general Noqai, who unlike Mengu Timur was very cooperative with Baibars. It is theorized that this intimacy was not only due to the religious connection (as Noqai was a Muslim, unlike his Khan), but also because Noqai was not really fond of Mengu-Timur. However, Baibars was pragmatic in his approach and did not want to become involved in complicated intrigue inside the Golden Horde, so instead he stayed close to both Mengu Timur and Noqai<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.co.id/books?id=VxOcXC85tnQC&pg=PA59&dq=baybars+golden+horde&hl=en&sa=X&ei=vFX1VLOMKsazuAS72YCADg&ved=0CCwQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=baybars%20golden%20horde&f=false | last = F. Broadbridge | first = Anne  | year= 2008 |title = Kingship and Ideology in the Islamic and Mongol Worlds Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization |page = 59 |isbn=9780521852654}}</ref>

=== Continued campaign against Crusaders ===
{{Further| Fall of Krak des Chevaliers
}}
In 1271, after Baibars captured the smaller castles in the area, including [[Chastel Blanc]], he besieged Krak des Chevaliers castle, held by the [[Hospitaller]]s, on 30 March. Peasants who lived in the area had fled to the castle for safety and were kept in the outer ward. As soon as Baibars arrived he began erecting [[mangonel]]s, powerful siege weapons which he would turn on the castle. According to Ibn Shaddad, two days later the first line of defences was captured by the besiegers; he was probably referring to a walled suburb outside the castle's entrance.<ref name=King88-92>{{harvnb|King|1949|pp=88–92}}</ref> After a lull of ten days, the besiegers conveyed a letter to the garrison, supposedly from the Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller in Tripoli, which granted permission for them to surrender. The garrison capitulated and the Sultan spared their lives.<ref name=King88-92/> The new owners of the castle undertook repairs, focused mainly on the outer ward.<ref>{{harvnb|King|1949|p=91}}</ref> The Hospitaller chapel was converted to a [[mosque]] and two [[mihrab]]s were added to the interior.<ref name=FFC179>{{harvnb|Folda|French|Coupel|1982|p=179}}</ref>

Baibars then turned his attention to Tripoli, but he interrupted his siege there to call a truce in May 1271.  The fall of Antioch had led to the brief [[Ninth Crusade]], led by [[Edward I of England|Prince Edward of England]], who arrived in Acre in May 1271 and attempted to ally himself with the Mongols against Baibars.  So Baibars declared a truce with Tripoli, as well as with Edward, who was never able to capture any territory from Baibars anyway. According to some reports, Baibars tried to have Edward assassinated with poison, but Edward survived the attempt and returned home in 1272.

=== Campaign against Makuria ===
{{Further|Kingdom of Makuria#Decline}}

In 1272 the Mamluk Sultan invaded the [[Kingdom of Makuria]], after its King David I had raided the Egyptian city of Aidhab, initiating several decades of intervention by the Mamlukes in [[Nubia]]n affairs.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.co.id/books?id=V7qpKqM2Ji8C&pg=PA37&dq=Baibars+Fariskur&hl=en&sa=X&ei=_sjcVKiaCoqyuATip4D4Dg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=baybars&f=false | last = Howard| first = Jonathan | year= 2011|title =The Crusades: A History of One of the Most Epic Military Campaigns of All Time |page = }}</ref> Hostilities toward the dying Christian kingdom were sidelined as Baibars' invasion of Makuria continued for four years until, by 1276, Baibars had completed his conquest of Nubia, Including the [[Al-Maris (region)|Medieval lower Nubia]] which ruled by [[Banu Kanz]]. Under the terms of settlement, the Nubians were now subjected to paying [[jizya]] tribute, and in return they were allowed to keep their religion, being protected under Islamic law as 'People of the Book'; they were also allowed to continue being governed by a king from the native royal family, although this king was chosen personally by Baibars, namely a Makurian noble named Shakanda.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.co.id/books?id=qVYT4Kraym0C&pg=PA300&dq=baibars+makuria&hl=en&sa=X&ei=idHbVPSKD9efugS-8oK4Dg&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=baibars%20makuria&f=false  | last = El Hareir, Mbaye | first = Idris , Ravane | year=2011 |title = The Spread of Islam Throughout the World |page = 300 }}</ref> In practice this was reducing Makuria to a vassal kingdom,<ref>[https://books.google.co.id/books?id=a4q3AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA205&dq=Baybars+makuria&hl=en&sa=X&ei=zSS8VIiHI6TymQWJ_YDQCA&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q=Baybars%20makuria&f=false Kenana Handbook Of Sudan  edited by Peter Gwynvay Hopkins]</ref> effectively ending Makuria's status as an independent kingdom

=== Campaign against the Mongols ===
{{Campaignbox Mongol invasions of Syria}}

In 1277, Baibars invaded the [[Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm]], then controlled by the [[Ilkhanate]] Mongols. He defeated a Mongol army at the [[Battle of Elbistan]] and captured the city of [[Kayseri]]. Baibars himself went with a few troops to deal with the Mongol right flank that was pounding his left wing.<ref name=autogenerated1>Ibn Taghri, Al-Zahir Baibars</ref> Baibars ordered a force from the army from Hama to reinforce his left. The large Mamluk numbers were able to overwhelm the Mongol force, who instead of retreating dismounted from their horses. Some Mongols were able to escape and took up positions on the hills. Once they became surrounded they once again dismounted, and fought to the death.<ref name=autogenerated1 /><ref>Al-Maqrizi,p. 99/vol.2</ref> During the celebration of victory, Baybars said that "How can I be happy. Before I had thought that I and my servants would defeat the Mongols, but my left wing was beaten by them. Only Allah helped us".<ref>Reuven Amitai Press, ''Mamluk Ilkhanid war 1260–1281''</ref>

The possibility of a new Mongol army convinced Baibars to return to Syria, since he was far away from his bases and supply line. As the Mamluk army returned to Syria the commander of the Mamluk vanguard, Izz al-Din Aybeg al-Shaykhi, deserted to the Mongols. [[Pervâne]] sent a letter to Baibars asking him to delay his departure. Baibars chastised him for not aiding him during the Battle of Elbistan. Baibars told him he was leaving for Sivas to mislead Pervâne and the Mongols as to his true destination. Baibars also sent Taybars al-Waziri with a force to raid the Armenian town of al-Rummana, whose inhabitants had hidden{{clarify|date=February 2015}} the Mongols earlier.

==Death==
Baibars died in [[Damascus]] on 1 July 1277.  His demise has been the subject of some academic speculation.  Many sources agree that he died from drinking poisoned [[kumis]] that was intended for someone else. Other accounts suggest that he may have died from a wound while campaigning, or from illness.<ref name="Young">{{cite book
| last = Young
| first = Robyn
| title = Crusade
| page = 484
| authorlink = Robyn Young
| publisher = Dutton
| year = 2007}}</ref> He was buried in the [[Az-Zahiriyah Library]] in Damascus.<ref>[http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2777 Zahiriyya Madrasa and Mausoleum of Sultan al-Zahir Baybars] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090108224216/http://www.archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.jsp?site_id=2777 |date=8 January 2009 }}</ref>

==Family==
Baibars married several women and had seven daughters and three sons. Two of his sons, [[al-Said Barakah]] and [[Solamish]], became sultans.

==Assessment==
[[File:Baibar the first lion-01.svg|thumb|180px|the lion ''passant'' was the heraldic blazon of Baibars from 1260]]
As the first Sultan of the [[Bahri dynasty|Bahri]] Mamluk [[dynasty]], Baibars made the meritocratic ascent up the ranks of Mamluk society.  He took final control after the assassination of Sultan Sayf al Din [[Qutuz]], but before he became Sultan he was the commander of the Mamluk forces in the most important battle of the [[Middle Ages]], repelling a Mongol force at the legendary [[Battle of Ain Jalut]] in 1260.<ref>''100 Decisive Battles: From Ancient Times to the Present''. Paul K. Davis, pg. 141</ref>  Although in the Muslim world he has been considered a national hero for centuries, and in [[Egypt]], [[Syria]] and [[Kazakhstan]] is still regarded as such, Sultan Baibars was reviled in the Christian world of the time for his seemingly unending victorious campaigns. A [[Templar knight]] who fought in the [[Seventh Crusade]] lamented:

{{quote|text=Rage and sorrow are seated in my heart...so firmly that I scarce dare to stay alive.  It seems that God wishes to support the Turks to our loss...ah, lord God...alas, the realm of the East has lost so much that it will never be able to rise up again.  They will make a [[Mosque]] of Holy Mary's convent, and since the theft pleases her Son, who should weep at this, we are forced to comply as well...Anyone who wishes to fight the Turks is mad, for [[Jesus Christ]] does not fight them any more.  They have conquered, they will conquer.  For every day they drive us down, knowing that God, who was awake, sleeps now, and [[Muhammad]] waxes powerful.<ref>Howarth,p.223</ref>}}

Baibars also played an important role in bringing the Mongols to [[Islam]].  He developed strong ties with the Mongols of the [[Golden Horde]] and took steps for the Golden Horde Mongols to travel to [[Egypt]].  The arrival of the Mongol's Golden Horde to Egypt resulted in a significant number of Mongols accepting Islam.<ref>The preaching of Islam: a history of the propagation of the Muslim faith, By Thomas Walker Arnold, pg. 192</ref>

==Legacy==
{{Further|Seventh Crusade|Ninth Crusade|Battle of Ain Jalut}}

=== Military legacy ===
Baibars was a popular ruler in the Muslim World who had defeated the crusaders in three campaigns, and the [[Mongols]] in the [[Battle of Ain Jalut]] which many scholars deem of great [[macro-historical]] importance.  In order to support his military campaigns, Baibars commissioned arsenals, warships and cargo vessels. He was also arguably the first to employ explosive [[hand cannon]]s in war, at the Battle of Ain Jalut.<ref>[[Ahmad Y Hassan]], [http://www.history-science-technology.com/Articles/articles%202.htm Gunpowder Composition for Rockets and Cannon in Arabic Military Treatises In Thirteenth and Fourteenth Centuries]</ref><ref name=History-Channel>{{citation|title=[[Ancient Discoveries]], Episode 12: Machines of the East|publisher=[[History (U.S. TV channel)|History Channel]]|year=2007}} ([https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwGfw1YW9Js Part 4] and [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0R3ZbzhRp_k Part 5])</ref> His military campaign also extended into [[Libya]] and [[Nubia]].

=== Culture and science ===
{{Further|Islam and cats}}
He was also an efficient administrator who took interest in building various infrastructure projects, such as a mounted message relay system capable of delivery from [[Cairo]] to [[Damascus]] in four days.  He built bridges, irrigation and shipping canals, improved the harbours, and built mosques. He was a patron of [[Science in medieval Islam|Islamic science]], such as his support for the medical research of his [[Medicine in medieval Islam|Arab physician]], [[Ibn al-Nafis]].<ref name="Iskandar-Selin">Albert Z. Iskandar, "Ibn al-Nafis", in [[Helaine Selin]] (1997), ''Encyclopaedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures'', [[Kluwer Academic Publishers]], ISBN 0-7923-4066-3.</ref> As a testament of a special relationship between [[Islam and cats]], Baibars left a cat garden in Cairo as a [[waqf]], providing the cats of Cairo with food and shelter.<ref name=Campo>{{cite book |title=Encyclopedia of Islam|last=Campo |first=Juan Eduardo |publisher=Infobase Publishing |year=2009 |isbn=1438126964}}<!--|accessdate=2013-08-15--></ref>  Its legacy of domesticated cats in Cairo is still seen to this day.<ref>http://cairocats.com/</ref>

His memoirs were recorded in ''[[Sirat al-Zahir Baibars]]'' ("Life of al-Zahir Baibars"), a popular [[Arabic Romance Literature|Arabic romance]] recording his battles and achievements.  He has a heroic status in Kazakhstan, as well as in [[Egypt]] and [[Syria]].

''Al-Madrassa al-Zahiriyya'' is the school built adjacent to his Mausoleum in [[Damascus]]. The [[Az-Zahiriyah library]] has a wealth of manuscripts in various branches of knowledge to this day. The library and Mausoleum are being reconstructed by a Kazakhstan government fund.{{cn|date=October 2016}}

In 2009, a copy of Sultan Beibars' Mausoleum in Damascus was to be built in Kazakhstan.{{cn|date=October 2016}}

==In fiction==
*Baibars figures prominently in the story "[[The Sowers of the Thunder]]" by [[Robert E. Howard]]. While liberties are taken with history for the sake of the tale, and many characters and events are purely imaginary, his character is fairly close to the folkloric depiction and the general flow of history is respected.
*Baibars is the main character of a novel "Yemshan" by Russian-Kazakh writer Moris Simashko (Moris Davidovich Shamas)
*Baibars is one of the main characters of [[Robyn Young]]'s books, ''[[Brethren (novel)|Brethren]]'' (starting shortly before he becomes Sultan) and ''[[Crusade (Young novel)|Crusade]]''.
*Baibars is the main character of Jefferson Cooper's ([[Gardner Fox]]) 1957 novel, ''The Swordsman''
*According to [[Harold Lamb]], [[Harun al-Rashid|Haroun]] of Baghdad in the [[The Book of One Thousand and One Nights|''Arabian Nights'']] was really Baibars of Cairo.<ref>Lamb, Harold. ''The Crusades''. Garden City Publishing, 1934. [https://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC04060588&id=k4ACAAAAMAAJ&q=%22harold+lamb%22%2Bcrusades%2Bbaibars%2Bharoun&dq=%22harold+lamb%22%2Bcrusades%2Bbaibars%2Bharoun&pgis=1 ''page 343'']</ref>
*Baibars is one of the central characters in Lebanese- American author [[Rabih Alameddine]]'s ''The Hakawati''.
*Baibars is one of the characters in the ''[[The Children of the Grail]]'' books by [[Peter Berling]].
*Sultan Beybars – movie shot in 1989 by Kazakh National Cinema Studio "Kazakh Film" Султан Бейбарс — художественный телефильм 1989 года
* Qahira ka Qaher (A Warrior of Egypt) Real biography of Sultan, written by historian Muazam Javed Bukhari
* Baibars is a central character in "The Saracen" – Novel by Robert Shea, 1989 Historic Fiction.

==See also==
*[[Ablaq]]
*[[Bahri dynasty]]
*[[Cumania]]
*[[Cuman people]]
*[[Kipchak people]]
*[[Mosque of al-Zahir Baybars]]
*[[Sirat al-Zahir Baibars]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Baibars}}
*[http://i-cias.com/e.o/baybars1.htm Baibars article from Encyclopedia of the Orient]
*[http://concise.britannica.com/ebc/article?eu=382088 Baibars in Concise Britannica online]
*[http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=2777 Al-Madrassa al-Zahiriyya and Baybars Mausoleum]
*[http://www.bartleby.com/65/ba/Baybars1.html Brief Article in Columbia Encyclopedia]
*[http://www.islam-online.net/Arabic/history/1422/01/article31.SHTML Extensive Arabic Article on Baybars]
*[http://jeru.huji.ac.il/eg31.htm Brief Biography]
*{{Citation |title=The History of Islam in Africa |editor-first=Nehemia |editor-last=Levtzion |editor-first2=Randall |editor-last2=Pouwels |publisher=[[Ohio University Press]] |year=2000|isbn=0821444611}}

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{{s-hou|[[Bahri dynasty]]||19 July 1223||1 July 1277|[[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk Sultanate]]}}
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{{succession box|title=[[List of Mamluk sultans|Sultan of Egypt and Syria]]|before=[[Saif ad-Din Qutuz]]|after=[[Al-Said Barakah]]|years=24 October 1260 – 1 July 1277}}
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{{Mamluk Sultans of Egypt}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Baibars}}
[[Category:Muslims of the Seventh Crusade]]
[[Category:Muslims of the Ninth Crusade]]
[[Category:Medieval Palestine]]
[[Category:1223 births]]
[[Category:1277 deaths]]
[[Category:Medieval Muslim generals]]
[[Category:Bahri sultans]]
[[Category:Cumans]]
[[Category:13th-century Mamluk sultans]]