Mustafa Banister

Mustafa Banister is Assistant Professor of Middle Eastern history at Utah State University's Department of History. He specializes in the social and cultural history of late medieval Egypt and Syria (1000-1500 CE), with particular focus on fifteenth-century Arabic historiographical texts from the Mamluk sultanate era. His research examines narratives of Islamic kingship and sovereignty in medieval Arabic literature.

His principal research explores Islamic political theory through primary sources like Ahmad ibn 'Arabshah's writings, while developing digital approaches to medieval Arabic biographical literature.

Professor Banister teaches undergraduate courses including: HIST 1500: The Pre-Modern World, Medieval Islam (HIST/RELS 4565), The Crusades (HIST/RELS 3270), Slavery in the Islamic World (HIST/RELS 4567), and The Modern Middle East (HIST/RELS 3410). His pedagogical approach combines primary source analysis with visual materials including maps, coins, and architectural artifacts.