Economy and autonomy in 14th-15th century Mecca

Abstract

There are many uncertainties about the medieval history of Mecca, Islam’s holiest city. Our knowledge of certain periods and political events is incomplete, as is our knowledge of the composition of society. Fortunately, we now have more sources on the late medieval centuries to reconstruct the economic situation of the city and how the Sharifs, who held the reins of power, tried to preserve and extend their autonomy in the shadow of regional powers such as the Abbasid Caliphate, the Ayyubid Sultanate or the Mamluk Empire of Egypt. From the available data, we can conclude that Mecca was economically unviable on its own, constantly in need of external material aid and food supplies. The extent of its autonomy has constantly varied, but even in the most difficult times it has managed to retain at least some of its internal autonomy.