Note 91 — AL-MALIK AL-ZAHIR RUKN AL-DIN BIBARS AL-BUNDUKDARI AND THE SIXTEEN CAPTAINS OF POLICE.[1]
Richard Francis Burton translation · Edition 2
Arab. “Abtál” = champions, athletes, etc., plur. of Batal, a brave: so Batalat = a virago. As the root Batala = it was vain, the form “Battál” may mean either a hero or a bad lot: see vol. viii. 335; x. 74, 75.