Caliph and caliphate up to 1517 - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
General Material Designation
[Article]
First Statement of Responsibility
Yücesoy, Hayrettin
.PUBLICATION, DISTRIBUTION, ETC
Place of Publication, Distribution, etc.
Leiden
Name of Publisher, Distributor, etc.
Brill
GENERAL NOTES
Text of Note
(7,891 words)
SUMMARY OR ABSTRACT
Text of Note
This entry examines the title, conventions, periodisation, and institutions of the caliphate up to 923/ 1517 , when the Ottomans conquered Egypt and relocated the last ʿAbbāsid caliph, al-Mutawakkil III, to Istanbul, their capital. The Arabic word khalīfa (pl. khulafāʾ or khalāʾif ) means literally "successor," "deputy," "vice-gerent," "inheritor," and "substitute." It is used as a title of the leader of the Muslim community after the death of the prophet Muḥammad (10/632). Various forms of the word were used to denote not only the ruler ( khalīfa ) but also his