Mamluk Sultanate · 1250-1517

Mamluk Cairo: mother of the world

Under the Mamluks, Cairo became the greatest city of the Islamic world, rich from the spice trade between India and Venice. Students explore its markets, the visit of Mansa Musa, the Black Death and the Portuguese threat.

Teach it live New Open on the map
Length
45 minutes
Ages
11–14
On the map
3 steps, AD 1324 to AD 1500
Live lesson
7 rounds, 3 on the map
Worksheet
Two A4 pages, with Classroom
You need
A projector; phones for live

Live lesson · new in Classroom

Teach it live. The class answers on their phones.

Put the board on the projector. Students join with a six-digit code, no account needed, and tap the map: where was the frontier, where did the grain come from. Their pins drop in together when you reveal, and the closest student takes the round.

€19 per month: every lesson live, every worksheet, cancel anytime. Rome at its height runs live for free.

A live lesson on the projector: the class's pins on the map around Alexandria, the closest students listed beside it A student's phone: the question and a map to tap
7 rounds
3 places to find on the map, quiz questions, a class vote and a one-line answer.
About 15 minutes
Run it as the map step, or to open the discussion. You move on with the space bar.
A report
Every answer, per student and per round, to read back or print after the lesson.
1

Introduction

5 min

Read aloud

Under the Mamluks, Cairo became the greatest city of the Islamic world, rich from the spice trade between India and Venice. Students explore its markets, the visit of Mansa Musa, the Black Death and the Portuguese threat.

By the end of the lesson, students can

  • Explain why Cairo's position made it a center of trade between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean.
  • Describe how the Black Death affected Cairo in 1348.
  • Explain how new sea routes after 1498 hurt Mamluk Egypt.
2

Explore the map

12 min

Project the map, or let students follow on their own devices. Each step opens the map at the right year and place.

a

AD 1324

Between two seas

Open the map in 1324 with the Cities layer on. Find Cairo. Then find the Red Sea and the Mediterranean. Why was Cairo the perfect middleman between them?

Open this view on the map
b

AD 1348

The Black Death

Turn on Spreads and choose the Black Death. Play it from 1347 to 1349. When does it reach Alexandria, Cairo and Mecca?

Open this view on the map
c

AD 1500

A rival route

Jump to 1500 and turn on Trade Routes. Find the new Cape Route to the Indies around Africa. Why was this route bad news for Cairo?

Open this view on the map
3

Class discussion

14 min

Pick two or three. They run from what happened to why it mattered.

  1. Travelers in the 1300s called Cairo the greatest city they had seen. What makes a city impressive to a visitor?
  2. Pepper and spices from India passed through Cairo to Venice. Who earned money at each step?
  3. Sultan Qalawun built a large hospital in Cairo in the 1280s. Why would a sultan who rose as a soldier spend money on a hospital?
  4. The Black Death killed perhaps a third of Cairo's people. How might a city change after losing so many?
  5. After 1498 Portuguese ships sailed around Africa to India. Why did that hurt Mamluk Egypt?
4

Game round

9 min

Play one round of Rule History as Mansa Musa, who stayed in Mamluk Cairo on his pilgrimage in 1324. Discuss: what did the people of Cairo see when he arrived, and what happened to the value of gold?

Open Rule History
5

Worksheet

5 min

This worksheet comes with Classroom

€19 per month unlocks every worksheet, every live lesson and the class workspace. The free lesson prints without a subscription.