This volume is a collection of research essays submitted by fellows of the Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg, an Advanced Center of Research in Mamluk Studies. It covers three themes, which correspond to the research agenda of the final three academic years of the Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg. These were: environmental history, material culture studies, and im/mobility. The aim of the contributions is to overcome the disciplinary boundaries of the field and to engage in scholarly debates in Ottoman Studies, European history, archae-ology and art history, and even the natural sciences.

Prof Dr Bethany J. Walker is Research Professor of Mamluk Studies at the University of Bonn and Director of the Research Unit of Islamic Archaeology. As a historically-trained archaeologist, she directs several field projects in Jordan and Israel.