A mamlūk (literally "owned" in Arabic) was an elite slave imported into Muslim territory and trained for military service and command. Mamlūk s were employed by virtually all Islamic empires from the third/ninth through the early thirteenth/nineteenth century, although the details of the mamlūk institution varied over time and space. Mamlūk s appealed to an array of empires because, as newcomers to the imperial domain, they had no familial or social ties that would dilute their loyalty to the rulers. Precedents for the use of mamlūk s may