Newruz,
he spent several days in a cloister to make atonement for this crime,
and was present at all the religious ceremonies and dances. Although he
shed streams of blood to satisfy his avarice, he wore a woollen garment,
and bade the preachers, when they mentioned his name after that of
Muhammed, to descend a step on the staircase of the chancel. Under a
religious sultan of this stamp, the position of the non-Muhammedans was
by no means an enviable one. The Jews and Christians had to pay enormous
taxes and the old decrees against them were renewed. Not only were they
forced to wear special colours, but the length of their sleeves and
head-bands was also decreed, and even the women were obliged to wear a
distinctive costume.

[Illustration: 067.jpg A TITLE-PAGE OF THE KORAN OF THE TIME OF SHABAN]

Sheikh appointed his son Ahmed, one year old, as his successor, and
named the emirs who were to act as regents until he became of age.
Tatar, the most cunning and unscrupulous of these emirs, soon succeeded
in obtaining the supreme power and demanded homage as sultan (August
29, 1421); but he soon fell ill and died after a reign of about three
months. He, too, appointed a young son as his successor and named the
regents, but Bursbai also soon grasped the supreme power and ascended
the throne in 1422. He had of course many insurrections to quell, but
was not obliged to leave Egypt. As soon as peace was restored in Syria,
Bursbai turned his attention to the European pirates, who had long been
harassing the coasts of Syria and Egypt. They were partly Cypriots and
partly Catalonians and Genoese, who started from Cyprus and landed their
booty on this island. Bursbai resolved first to conquer this island.
He despatched several ships with this object in view; they landed at
Limasol, and, having burnt the ships in the harbour and plundered the
town, they returned home. The favourable result of this expedition much
encouraged the sultan, and in the following year he sent out a large
fleet from Alexandria which landed in Famagosta. This town soon
surrendered and the troops proceeded to plunder the neighbouring places,
and defeated all the troops which Prince Henry of Lusignan sent out
against them. When they had advanced as far as Limasol, the Egyptian
commander, hearing that Janos, the King of Cyprus, was advancing with
a large army against him, determined to return to Egypt to bring his
enormous booty into safety. In July, 1426, a