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Ayyubid - The Ayyubid or Ayyoubid
Dynasty (Arabic:
الأيوبيون) was the
Kurdish
Sunni
Muslim
dynasty founded by
Saladin
(Salah al-Din ibn Al-Ayubbi)
about 1171 CE. It ruled Egypt, Palestine, Syria, most of Yemen, Diyar Bakr,
Mecca, Hejaz and northern Iraq in the 12th and 13th centuries. Ayyoubi means Job
in Arabic.
The approximate extent of the Ayyubid
empire under Saladin is shown in the map.
Saladin and his uncle Sharkuh conquered Cairo and Egypt about 1169, expelling
the
Shia
Fatimid
dynasty and returning Egypt to
Sunni
Islam. Saladin expanded his empire in successive campaigns, the most famous of
which was his conquest of Jerusalem from the crusaders.
During his lifetime Saladin had granted parts of his kingdoms as fiefdoms to his
brothers. Saladin's brother al-Adil ruled in the Jezireh (Arabian peninsula) and
Transjordan. Another brother, Toghtekin, ruled Yemen. His nephews were granted
rule over Baalbek and Hamah; and the sons of Shirkuh ruled in Homs. The part of
the Empire that Saladin ruled, Palestine Egypt and Syria principally, was
inherited by Saladin's sons when he died in 1193. Al-Afdal, the eldest, was
rulter of Damascus and was intended to be overlord of the whole. Al-Aziz, took
Egypt and az-Zahir, ruled Aleppo. However, the sons quarreled continuously.
Eventually, Al Adil managed to reunite the empire in 1201. Upon his death in
1218 he was inherited by his son Al Kamil. Though there were dynastic squabbles,
the dynasty remained reasonably strong. However in 1250, Turanshah of
Egypt, was murdered and replaced by his Mamluk (Mameluk) slave-general Aibek,
founder of the Bahri dynasty. In 1260, the Mongols overran Syria and ended the
main line of the Ayyubid dynasty. When they were defeated, the Mamluks took
their place. However, in a a few places, Ayyubid emirates continued for some
time. The Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa (on the Tigris in southern Turkey, now called
Hasankeyf) ruled there until the 16th century.
The principle Ayyubid rulers:
Ayyubids of Egypt
- Salah al-Din ibn Al-Ayubbi 1171-1193
- Al-Aziz 1193-1198
- Al-Mansur 1198-1200
- Al-Adil I 1200-1218
- Al-Kamil 1218-1238
- Al-Adil II 1238-1240
- As-Salih Ayyub 1240-1249
- Al-Muazzam Turanshah 1249-1250
- Al-Ashraf II 1250-1250
Ayyubids of Syria (Damascus)
- Salah al-Din ibn Al-Ayubbi 1174-1193
- Al-Afdal 1193-1196
- Al-Adil I 1196-1218
- Al-Mu'azzam 1218-1227
- An-Nasir Dawud 1227-1229
- Al-Ashraf 1229-1237
- As-Salih Ismail 1237-1238
- Al-Kamil 1238
- Al-Adil II 1238-1239
- As-Salih Ayyub 1239
- As-Salih Ismail (2nd time) 1239-1245
- As-Salih Ayyub (2nd time) 1245-1249
- Al-Muazzam Turanshah 1249-1250
- An-Nasir Yusuf 1250-1260
Synonyms and alternate spellings: Ayyubi, Ayyoubi, Ayoubites, Ayyoubites,
Ayoubides or Ayyoubides.
Further Information:
Saladin
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