Princess of the Nile (1954)
Director: Harmon Jones
Starring: Debra Paget (Princess Shalimar/Taura), Jeffrey Hunter (Prince Haidi), Michael Rennie (Rama Khan), Dona Drake (Mirva), Michael Ansara (Capt. Kral), Edgar Barrier (Shaman), Wally Cassell (Goghi), Jack Elam (Basra)
Set in A.D. 1249, Egyptian princess Shalimar tries to rid her country of its Bedouin conquerors. She is forced into a life of intrigue at the court and the market place (disguised as a dancing girl). She forms an alliance with the son of the Caliph of Baghdad. Some reviewers were charmed by the dancing routine of Ms. Paget.
So, was there an Egyptian princess known as Shalimar. Can't find any historical reference to such a person. So, probably not.
Historical Background:
The Mamluks were slave soldiers who served the Muslim Caliphs and later the Ottoman Empire.
1250-1517 A.D. -- the Mamluks take control of Egypt. The Mamluks were mostly Turkic, who were mostly from the Russian steppe.
1250-1382 -- the first Mamluk dynasty was that of the Bahri. They established a dynasty run by a few families. The Mamluk Empire became the leading Muslim state in the world. The most notable sultans:
1260-1277 -- al-Zahir Baybars.
1279-1290 -- al-Mansur Kalavun.
1293–1294 -- al-Nasir Muhammad
1299–1309 -- al-Nasir Muhammad.
1310–1341 -- al-Nasir Muhammad.
1382-1517 -- The next dynasty was that of the Burji, a.k.a. the Circassian (Burji) household of Mamluk rulers. The rulers faced economic decline. The most formidable rulers were:
1382-1399 – Barkuk.
1422-1438 – al-Ashraf Barsbay.
1468-1496 – Qayitbey.
1501-1516 – al-Ashraf Kansawh al-Ghawri.
Return to Home Page (Vernon Johns Society)