Very much to Alï Mubärak's surprise, the high-ranking commissioner, Anbar Effendi, was black. In his own words, `Alï Mubärak could not wrap his mind around this inversion of social and cultural hierarchies: I looked at him and saw that he was black, Abyssinian, as if he were a Mamluk's slave. Yet he was both magnanimous and dignified. I saw how the shaykhs and judges of the area stood before him, and how he coun- seled them. I stayed around until they had gone, and then entered his chamber and kissed his hand. … I had always thought that the ruling classes only included Turks; this was the custom during those days. So, I remained shocked and confused that these dignitaries stood before a slave and kissed his hand.

Eve M. Troutt Powell, A Different Shade of Coloni…, loc. 254