Ṣubḥ al-A'shā by al-Qalqashandī is a manual for chancery clerks completed in 1412 and a vital source of information on Fatimid and Mamluk Egypt which, for the first time, has been translated into English.

The text provides valuable insight into the Mamluk and earlier Muslim eras. The selections presented in this volume describe Cairo, Fustat and the Cairo Citadel and give a detailed picture of the Fatimid (AD 969-1172), Ayyubid (AD 1172-1250) and Mamluk (AD 1250-1412) court customs, rituals and protocols, and depict how the Mamluk Sultanate was ruled....