oye GentleIllen Arabic Studies on Science and Literary Culture

296 THOMAS BAUER
Given the fact that the hunt was led by a person who had little interest
in literature and that the most significant literary competence had
been assembled in the diwän al-inshä', a crucial role came to be played
by persons who held an officethat combined competence in the realm
of the civil elite with power in the realm of the military elite. An office
in this intermediate position was the vizier, in this time identical with
the nä~ir al-diwän, 'supervisor of the chancellery: Another office even
doser to the military was the dawädär, the 'bearer of the royal inkwell:
His duties and his importance varied a great 'deal over time. The holders
of these officeswere dose enough to the amirs to take part in their
hunting expeditions side by 'sidewith the amirs and dose enough to the
kuttäb to be interested in sophisticated literature and pay attention to
communication by means of poetry and artistic prose.
The first urjüza muzdawija of the Mamluk period was composed by
al-Warräq for the vizier al-$äl:1ibTäj al-Din Ibn l:finnä and his brother. 25
Shihäb al-Din Ibn Fa