Beyond the Dār al-Islām/Dār al-ḥarb Paradigm

Abstract For a long time, scholarship concerning the relations between the Mamluks and Christian powers has been heavily influenced by the traditional dichotomy between dār al-Islām and dār al-ḥarb . This paradigm has often led historians to misinterpret the nature of the diplomatic documents issued by the chancery in Cairo. Taking into account new perspectives on the dialogue between Muslim and non-Muslim powers, the article examines the principles underlying the diplomatic dialogue in wartime and in peacetime through the lens of Mamluk diplomatic sources. Through this analysis, the paper illustrates how the discipline of Diplomatics can offer a direct approach to reconsidering some historiographical narratives and to understanding the real nature of diplomatic exchange and its symbolic representation.