Cover -- Copyright -- Dedication -- Contents -- Illustrations and Credit -- Acknowledgements -- Note to the Reader -- Introduction -- PART ONE: THE CULTURE OF GIFTS -- 1 The World of the Mamluks -- 2 Protocol and Codes of Gift Exchange -- Diplomatic Hospitality and Safety -- The Meaning of Diplomatic Gifts -- The Monetary Value of Gifts -- Recycled, Used and Requested Gifts -- PART TWO: GIFTS IN GEO-POLITICAL CONTEXTS -- 3 The Red Sea and Indian Ocean Connection -- Yemen -- India -- 4 Africa -- Ethiopia -- Nubia -- The Maghrib -- West Africa (Mali and Borno) -- 5 The Black Sea, Anatolia, Iran and Central Asia -- The Golden Horde at the Black Sea -- The Ilkhanids and the Jalayirids in Iran and Iraq -- The Timurids in Iran and Central Asia -- The Turkmens -- The Qara Qoyunlus -- The Aq Qoyunlus -- The Dhul Qadirs -- The Safavids -- The Ottomans -- 6 Europe -- Castile and Aragon -- The Cyprus Connection -- Venice -- Florence -- France -- PART THREE: THE GIFTS -- 7 Tradition and Legacy -- Traditional Diplomatic Gifts in the Middle East and the Muslim World -- The Fatimid and Ayyubid Legacies -- 8 Gifts for and from the Mamluks -- Gifts for the Mamluks -- The Mamluk Assortment of Diplomatic Gifts -- Spices and Porcelain -- Mamluks and Craftsmen -- Giraffes, Elephants and other Animals -- Balsam, Theriac and other Local Products -- Religious Gifts -- Textiles -- Material Witnesses of Mamluk Diplomatic Textiles -- The Knight's Outfit -- Material Witnesses of Mamluk Military and Equestrian Gifts -- 9 Gifts and Mamluk Identity -- Export -- The Iconography of Mamluk Gifts -- Conclusion -- Notes -- Bibliography.