Mamluk Syria - 1270-1280 - Silver Dirham - The Mamluks were enslaved soldiers of Turkic, Caucasian, Mongol, and other origins who were trained in martial and courtly skills, converted to Islam, and later freed to serve in high military and political roles. In Syria, they rose to power after the collapse of the Ayyubid dynasty in the 13th century, eventually establishing the Mamluk Sultanate (1250–1517) with its capital in Cairo but with strong control over Syria