Rakb al-Ḥajj al-Shāmī Relations between Nomads and Pilgrims during the Mamluk and Ottoman Periods

Absztrakt

This paper deals with the relations between nomads (Bedouins) and the pilgrimage caravans from Syria to the Hijaz (Rakb al-Ḥajj al-Shāmī) in the Late Middle Ages and the early Ottoman period. It tries to follow the changes and developments in the relations between nomads and pilgrims on the road between Syria and Mecca. Before Islam, agreements and alliances (īlāf) were made between rulers of Mecca and Bedouin tribes in Arabia to preserve security and safety in the area. In Islamic times, these norms continued and even developed. In the Mamluk era and then under the Ottomans, many arrangements for securing the pilgrimage routes and the pilgrims’ stay in Mecca were renewed. The Bedouins’ dealings with pilgrims ranged from peace and security to aggression and looting, according to the political and economic arrangements that prevailed between the Bedouins and the ruling authorities.