Paper abstract:

Despite being arguably the most important institution of the Mongol Empire, there is still much we do not know, particularly concerning specific components of the military. One such component was the qaraghul. In studies on the conflict between the Ilkhanate and the Mamluk Sultanate, the qara'ul have been indentified as units who performed a combination of frontier guards and highway patrol. A simple role, yet this is a word that has carried over from the Mongol Empire and exists in numerous languages, not only in the former territory of the empire, but beyond. Furthermore, very little scholarship exists on the qara'ul's actual structure and function. This paper will explore origins and purpose of the qara'ul institution in the Mongol Empire and attempt to understand it beyond the limited context of the Mamluk-Ilkhanid frontier.