Zakī al-Dīn Abū Bakr

Zakī al-Dīn Abū Bakr was a member of a prominent business family al-Kharrubis that appeared during the Mamluk era of Egypt. Al-Karrubis served as an example of an ascendant wealthy merchant family which rise could be traced from the 13th til 15th century. "Kharrub" in Arabic means "carob bean". The oldest known family ancestor, Salah al-Din al-Misri al-Kharrubi thus might have been a carob retailer.

They were part of Karimi merchant guild comprised of the Muslim merchants who traded spices, perfumes, sugar, pottery, textiles and other goods between the Indian Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea during the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods. Allegedly, the family originated from Kharrub square in al-Fustat, where carob was commonly sold.

Among the Kharrūbīs, Zakī al-Dīn Abū Bakr was the only one granted the title of “chief merchant” (ra⁠ʾīs al-tujjār) in 1384 by the Sultan Barqūq. In al-Durar al-Kāmina, Ibn Ḥajar further states, “Zakī al-Dīn approached the state (dawla) and gained the title of “leader” (riʾāsa), thus surpassing his peers, showing distinctly that Zakī al-Dīn petitioned Sultan Barqūq to bestow upon him the title of riʾāsa. Zakī al-Dīn held this honorary title for about two years until he died in 787/1385 in al-Fusṭāṭ. According to Ibn Ḥajar, after he gained the title, Zakī al-Dīn’s status (qadr) in the government rose. He was no longer preoccupied with business, but gradually mellowed, earning the respect of the Kārimī merchants.