Alzahir Baybers of Kazakhstan

In 1223 A.D. Al Zahir Baybers was a young Mamlouk dragged to the Damascus Slaves market by the Mongols aggressors, from his village Kipchak Turks (now Kazakhstan). A son of a Prince was taken away at the age of 15 years, and leaving behind all members of his family killed.

Baybers was born in around 1223AD, received the art of fighting training, and he was probably captured when he was active in the battle field.

He became a mamlouk (property) of the Sultan of Egypt, Al Saleh Najm Eddin, of the Ayyubid Daynasty. As the latter was moved by his story, Baybers was appointed one of the Sultan’s guards, and was not stripped off his title as Prince; also the Sultan granted him his name to express to the young price his paternal love.

As a guard, he would naturally be educated as a fighter. His teacher was then the well known leader of the time “Kudos”. The young prince proved to excel in fighting and could reach the post of Commander.

In Battles he was a legend. His deeds were crowned by the imprisonment of the King of France (Louis IX) in 1250AD, who was leading the Crusader’s troops trying to invade the Prince’s domain. The King and his army heads were imprisoned in Rashid, in the house of the town’s judge.

As a shrewd negotiator, he ended the exchange of prisoners of war question with the best interest of Egypt, to which the Sultan (who was then Kudos) was greatly satisfied as the deal brought about a great volume of ransom.

The Mongols in September 1260AD raid again on the mamlouk territories and the Arab countries , sultan Kudos and his commander prince Baybers leaded their organized army met the Mongols and defeated them at Ein Galout (Palestine) In October 23, 1260AD, Baybers sat on the throne, thus becoming the fourth Mamlouk to take hold of the Sultanate.

As a Sultan, he established a good relation with the Byzantine Empire, as he sent in 1261AD his Ambassador to the court of Emperor Michael 13th. The same year witnessed another dispatch of a diplomatic figure to the Cicilian King Manfred, and to the Italian King Charles Anjou. The latter, as a token of appreciating the Sultan’s person, sent his representatives to Cairo bearing his presents.

During his reign, commercial treaties were tackled, to mention a few, with James 1st of Aragon, and King Alfonso X of Leon and Castile. In the Jurisdiction field, in his era, for the first time, a Chief of Justice was appointed and brought along the Islamic law summed up by the four major Islamic Law Interpreters.

Baybers continued to prosper and strengthen his army. Architecture flourished while he was in power over Palestine, Syria, and Arabia. Mosques, schools, houses, hospitals, bridges were built. Built a new village Baring his name Al Zahiria , Citadels and fortresses were restored after being deteriorated due to the Crusaders and Mongols aggression. A haven for building warships was established in Damascus. Canals were dug to better the irrigation system. He worked to have Al Azhar restored and reopen after being suspended during the founder of that dynasty Salah Eddin El Ayyubi. Establishing the first post system was under his personal supervision based on the mountain citadel between Cairo –Damascus, quick mail by having the best cavalry, by air using pigeons And by regular ship trips.

As a sports person himself, he held competitions of that we call today Polo, and horseback riding. Such meets were held at the eastern side of the outside walls of Cairo, a place called Husseneya. Now this area is called el Daher (after his name Al Zahir) and Abbasseya (after the Abbassy rule) now became in the heart of Cairo and inhabited by three million people!!

Baybers moved the centre of his government to Cairo instead of Damascus. Establishing The base of the Abbassy Khalifa to Cairo in 1261AD he was called the servant of the two holy sacred direction of the Islam. (Mecca and Jerusalem) , he was serious as a Personality , religious sharp in all the small details in the Mamlouk Empire Never the less Bybers was making region reforms in his Mamlouk empire between the years 1261-1271AD did not prevent his raids against the Crusader existence in the area Every year was taking a new city, the last city he free was the city of Antakya . Defeating the Mongols on 1265AD and the year 1268AD, Ebgha the son of Houlako Sent messengers with presents offering peace treaties but Baybers always refusing to Make peace treaties with the Mongols as what they did to his family, the Moslems and to the Islam.

He died on the 1st July 1277AD barred under his library Alzahiria in Damascus.On that occasion Kazakhstan made a big donation to restore the Mosque of Baybers who was involved him self in designing and building his own mosque,

Bybers supervised the construction 1266-1269AD, the mosque was designed and built according to the Fatimid epoch layout architecture with the strong influence of Al Azhar mosque , the open large court surrounded by the 4 prayer halls , the biggest Among them consist of six slaps which cross the aisle crossing the hall, pointing direction Mecca and ending with big dome before mihrab.at the center heart of the mosque include sabil (water fountain).

The mosque covers10.000 square meter enclosed by 10 meter high walls, consist of stone fence with 1.30 meter high terrace raised over it, made of hewing out precious stones tightly laying in 30cm high horizontal rows.

The mosque have three memorial entrances, the main entrance is 11.83 meter high Located at the western side of the mosque comes out of the eternal walls for 8.86 meters And consider as architectural memorial, in the middle of the entrance there is a vaulted door with stones laid in a shape of jewelry, the two other doors are located at the northern and southern sides of the mosque as a copy of the main entrance.

Till the end of the Mamluk period at the 16th century the prayers was held in the mosque ,Due to spacious area of the mosque in the Ottman period failed to cover the maintenance Deteriorate the mosque by turning the mosque as a store house for military equipment.1805AD during the famous ruler in Egypt of the Ottman empire Mohamed Aly he gave The mosque to the French expedition to use it as barracks, then Mohamed Aly used the mosque as a bakery for the army soldiers , then turn it to a soap factory ,Sheikh el Sharqawi of Al Azhar mosque 1812AD ordered to relocate some of the marble roman pillars to Al Azhar .mosque. During the British occupation in Egypt they changed the mosque to slaughter house and a bakery as well ,which they demolished the beautiful fountain in the middle of the mosque.

The mosque handed over to the Arab antiquities committee 1918 to restore the mosque for prayers leaving the rest of the mosque as a park that, in 1970 the antique authority Made a study to restore the mosque but did not finish the restoration, twenty years later They revised the work done , the report was not promising, the department on 1990 Appointed another contractor to restore the mosque, but again the restoration 1995 was not finished ant till today it remain with the restoration material are holding the roof of the mosque.

Kazakhstan president gave a donation of 5 million dollars to restore the mosque of the Kazakhstan warrior Al Zaher Bybers where the Arab Contractors company 1st, July 2007 is starting to return the mosque to its original design would be finishing the restoration at 2010.

Edited by :

Magdi Josef Amin for

Asian Geographic Magazin