Well Nigh Inebriating Us with the Sultan’s Verses”: Qāniṣawh al-Ghawrī and the Making of a Poet-King

The 2026 Cochrane Fellow Lecture, co-hosted by the Trinity Centre for the Book and the Chester Beatty Library.

To attend this lecture over zoom, please register HERE via the Chester Beatty's booking page.

Speaker: Dr. Kristof D’hulster
What happens when poetry becomes part of the performance of kingship? This lecture explores the remarkable literary world of the Mamluk sultan Qāniṣawh al-Ghawrī (r. 1501–1516), who ruled from Cairo over a sultanate extending across Egypt, Syria-Palestine and the Hijaz. At its heart is Chester Beatty Ar 5479, an unusual historical miscellany offering an exceptionally intimate view of the first years of his reign. Building on developments already visible under his predecessor Qāytbāy (r. 1468–1496), al-Ghawrī took the cultivation of the poet-sultan to new heights. He composed poetry, presided over literary gatherings, and even had his Mamluks memorise and recite his own verses. Alongside accounts of architecture, gardens and courtly life, Ar 5479 allows us to see how al-Ghawrī used his own poetry, its recitation and its performance at court to fashion and project a distinctive royal persona.
Short bio
Kristof D’hulster is a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Münster and the 2026 Cochrane Research Fellow at Chester Beatty. His research focuses on the Mamluk Sultanate, manuscript culture, sultanic libraries, and Arabic and Turkic literary production. He is the author of Browsing through the Sultan’s Bookshelves (2021) and Ottoman Poets and Poetics in the Sixteenth Century (Edinburgh University Press, 2025).

This event is run in accordance with Trinity’s Dignity and Respect policy, and its commitment to nurturing a respectful and inclusive research culture.
Please indicate if you have any access requirements, such as ISL/English interpreting, so that we can facilitate you in attending this event: volmern@tcd.ie