الضرائب الاستثنائية و أثرها على فلاحي بلاد الشام في العصر المملوكي 658-923ه 1260-1517م

Abstract EN

The peasants of the Levant were badly oppressed because of the feudality that was imposed by the Mamluk authority and turned the peasant in to a slave owned by his feudal master as he works as a laborer who only suffers humiliation and vileness.

Whenever the peasant pays the official definite taxes, a levy was taken out of the yields of his land, and what remains was paid to fulfill the tenth as an almsgiving or charity if he is a Muslim; on the other hand if he is a non-Muslim, he pays the taxes (the jizyah) in addition to the land turnout levy.

Although the Shami farmer had endured the most terrible circumstances that were showed in the outer attacks of the Ar, and the natural disasters that caused starvation, poverty, torture, and murder in many cases by the tax collectors, the Mamluk government didn't show mercy as it mastered imposing many exceptional taxes to gain the peasants' money in an illegal way.

Some types of taxes were special for being permanent during the Mamluk age except for specific short periods to be re-enforced in another time like: the monthly taxes, taxes of pastures, presence and delivery, hospitality, marriage, etc.

Some of these kinds of taxes were applied according to the sultan's wishes and desires like: taxes of rights, sudden events, crimes, substances, barley, etc.

So, the peasants objected to these levies and the authority rarely reacted to them, the thing that pushed them to flee from the severity of these taxes and leave their lands, so the country collapsed.