Le sultan qui aimait les beaux chevaux : l'« arabomania » équine du mamelouk al-Nāṣir Muḥammad

The sultan al-Nāṣir Muḥammad had a boundless love for his horses. This is in itself hardly surprising for a mamlūk sultan, the worthy representative of a dynasty whose emblem was a horse, and who raised the art of furūsiyya to their highest expression. However, the intensity of his passion for horses was often mentioned, even criticized by chroniclers. Moreover, this sultan seems to have stood out from his peers for his taste in horses. To the warlike qualities of the Northern African Barb horse, he preferred the beauty of the Arabian purebred, which was in perfect accordance with his taste. He is better remembered for his ostentatious parades, than for his military achievements. This pronounced penchant for fine horses made the fortune of those Arab tribes that provided him with steeds. Indeed, the sultan could spend a considerable amount on a single Arabian mare. Thus, it would be fair to say that the reign of al-Nāṣir Muḥammad , often considered as the most illustrious representative of the “dynasty of horsemen”, was characterized by its equine Arabomania