3The general field of study of this volume is the History and Culture of the Mamluk Sultanate (1250-1517). It contains the proceedings of the First German-Japanese Workshop held in Tokyo, Japan. The authors write about a variety of topics from rural irrigation systems to high diplomacy vis a vis the Safavid empire and the Ottoman threat. The volume includes case studies of important personalities and families living in the centres of Mamluk power such as Cairo and Damascus as well as analyses of contemporary writers and their stance toward the ruling military class. Next to innovation in the field, this volume is an example of an increasing globalization of scholarship that is fertilizing future research.