Dabiqi clothes, of ciclatoum, of squirrel-furred gowns, of Dimyati brocade, and of turbans. Dabiqi cloth was linen, sometimes interwoven with gold and silk, ciclatoun was another precious cloth. Dimyati brocade was a white linen or silk with added gold threads. Usama describes the things that were plundered from his home when he had to flee from it: From the hall of my home they carried away forty huge camel bags all sewn up and containing great quantities of silver, gold and clothing, and from my stable they marched away thirty-six horses and female saddle mules Usama describes another time when his possessions were stolen when his family are returning from Egypt. On their journey, the King of Jerusalem took all their valuable possessions: ...jewellery, which had been entrusted to the women, clothes, gems, swords, weapons and gold and silver amounting to about thirty thousand dinars. The most significant loss for Usama were his 4,000 books. Books would be a very valuable item in the era before printing as they must be transcribed by hand (by a scribe) and only the wealthy would be able to afford them. Usama can cope with the loss of his other possessions but could never forget the loss of his books: "Their loss has left a heartsore that will stay with me to the last day of my life". In the militarized society of the time, war spoils were highly valued. They demonstrated prestige as only the rich elite could afford them. For example, Usama describes a quilted gold saddle he owned. He suggests that only someone of his status could afford such an item: Read what is on it. Is it' Abbas ' name and his son's, or is it my name? And who else in the days of al-Hafiz could ride in Egypt on a gold saddle but I? Political structure of Islamic society After getting into trouble with his uncle who ruled Shayzar, Usama was exiled, traveling to Damascus, Jerusalem, Cairo, Mosul and Mecca. Usama was in the army of the Atabeg Zengi, went to the Fatimid court in Egypt and was in the army of Nur al-Din. The political structure of the area changed considerably during Usama's lifetime. The Islamic world was very fragmented and divided at the time, between the Abbasid caliphate of Baghdad and the Fatimid caliphate based on Cairo. By the late 11th century neither caliph held any