Basically reading the Jaahil M2S' thread on Somalis only being Muslim by name cuz they called the Mongols 'Tatars', a name which Muslims used for the past thousand years, reminded me about something I've being studying during my days where I used to mix Afro-centrism with Islam.
The Mamaaliik or Mamelukes, as cadaans call them, were slave soldiers used initially by the Egyptian dynasties, thereafter establishing the Mamluke Sultanate themselves.
After the Islamic conquest of Egypt, the Muslims looked south to Makuria(Nubia), the battle of Dongola ensued which lead to heavy casualties for both sides. A truce was signed which came to be known as the Baqt which lasted for 600 years, this involved Egypt providing wheat, horses and barley to Makuria while Makuria provided slaves to Egypt.
These strong Makurian slaves were conscripted to the Egyptian army, which lead to the creation of the powerful military caste the Mamelukes. During the early years of Salahudeen himself, he had to put down a rebellion of 50 thousand strong Makurian regiments.
Slaves of Turkic, Slavic, Greek and of Balkan descent were also used, as was the case of Seljuks and other such rulers who had their beginnings as mercenaries/slaves. The Battle of Talas which was against the Tang dynasty could be said was the beginning of using slave soldiers in the Muslim world.
Salahudeen's army that marched to Palestine was largely made up of slave soldiers, with Makurian soldiers making up a large percentage, thereafter a large percentage settled there. You could ask this to the population of Gaza, as there is a population of blacks of Makurian descent living there.
The characteristics that white people gave the Moors actually makes sense now (but we all know they meant the Arabs and Berbers as the Black Africans they describe), cuz the army that conquered Spain with Yusuf ibn Tashfiin of the Murabitun dynasty had a 20 thousand strong African contingency, while the army they faced during the crusades were black aswell.
Alas, most of this doesn't matter to you, its all in the past heh, but history is fascinating and I urge all of you to look for something you like and study it.
