Diplomatic exchange in the late medieval Muslim world was a very complex process whose every step is of great significance for understanding the relationships which obtained between two powers. Medieval scholars themselves understood the importance of such exchanges and wrote treatises intended for envoys and emissaries, such as those of Ibn al-Farr?? (d. 425/1034), the Kit?b rusul al-mul?k or al-?Abb?s? (708/1308), the ???r al-uwal f? tart?b al-duwal. Indeed, the role of the embassy was of great importance far beyond the letters it brought. Through examining the diplomatic relationships obtaining between the Mamluks and Timurids in the fifteenth century, this paper defines and evaluates the complex diplomatic conventions governing such exchanges. In doing so, it adduces a telling example of how transregional networks of exchange operated during a key period in Islamic history. Mamluk chronicles often mention the arrival and departure of embassies to or from Cairo, but we also possess many copies of letters kept in various munš???t. The existence of such letters adds greatly to our knowledge of the embassies. The case of diplomatic exchange between these two dynasties is particularly telling. After a long diplomatic struggle (828–39/1424–36) concerning the sending of the Timurid kiswa, the new Mamluk sultan, ?aqmaq (r. 842–57/1438–53) finally accepted Š?h Ru?’s request, and from that point forward the frequency of diplomatic exchange between the two dynasties grew exponentially. These exchanges are documented in a manner which allows us to reconstruct the reception of Timurid embassies in the Mamluk capital in great detail. In charting the relationships which obtained between the Mamluks and Timurids, this paper evaluates a heretofore untapped corpus of unedited letters (BnF ms.ar.4440), documents which shed a great deal of light on the information found in the chronicles. When set alongside the chronicles, these letters allow us to more readily define the position of the envoys and their mission, evaluate the nature of their reception, understand the importance of embassies in the eyes of the Mamluks, and explicate the ceremonial particular to the exchange of gifts. As an understanding of the chancery practices used in the writing of letters is critical to evaluating the status of the correspondence which determined the convention of the exchange, the paper will focus on the diplomatic protocol included within the letters. In evaluating these materials, the paper offers a model for the study of networks of exchange of the period.