Qaitbay
| Qaitbay | |
|---|---|
Mamluk Sultan Qaytbay ("Mag Caitbeivs Cairi Svltan") by Florentine painter Cristofano dell'Altissimo (16th century), Galleria degli Uffizi | |
| Sultan of Egypt and Syria | |
| Reign | 31 January 1468 – 7 August 1496 |
| Predecessor | Timurbugha |
| Successor | an-Nasir Muhammad |
| Born | c. 1416/1418 Circassia |
| Died | 7 August 1496 (aged 77–80) |
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| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Sultan Abu Al-Nasr Sayf ad-Din Al-Ashraf Qaitbay (Arabic: السلطان أبو النصر سيف الدين الأشرف قايتباي; c. 1416/1418 – 7 August 1496) ruled the Mamluk Sultanate from 1468 to 1496 (872 – 901 AH in the Islamic calendar).
As the eighteenth Sultan of Egypt of the Burji dynasty, Qaitbay stabilized the Mamluk state and economy. He consolidated the northern boundaries of the Sultanate with the Ottoman Empire after a series of wars between 1485 and 1491, and engaged in trade with other contemporaneous polities.
Qaitbay was Circassian by birth, and was purchased by sultan Barsbay (1422 – 1438) before being freed by Barsbay's successor Jaqmaq (1438 – 1453).
A veteran of sixteen campaigns, Qaitbay was also a great patron of architecture. He commissioned building projects in Mecca, Medina, Jerusalem, Damascus, Aleppo, Alexandria, and in every quarter of Cairo and endowed the religious works with waqfs. He was also known for his piety.