The Iqta system involved the Sultan granting the revenues of specific lands to military officers (Amirs) in exchange for providing troops for the Sultan's army. This system was central to the administration of the Ayyubid military-fiscal state.

The Ayyubids expanded into Yemen and the Hijaz to secure the Red Sea routes and religious legitimacy. They also controlled parts of Mesopotamia. However, Sicily was under Norman/Hohenstaufen control during this period and never became part of the Ayyubid state.

In 1244, Al-Salih Ayyub allied with the Khwarazmian clans (who were fleeing the Mongols). They sacked Jerusalem and decisively defeated the Crusaders and their Syrian Ayyubid allies at the Battle of La Forbie, ensuring the city remained in Muslim hands until 1917.

Shajar al-Durr was the widow of Al-Salih Ayyub. She played a critical role in the transition from Ayyubid to Mamluk rule. She ruled in her own name for 80 days and is often cited as the bridge between the two dynasties.

Al-Salih Ayyub was the Sultan during the invasion of Louis IX in 1249. Although he died during the campaign, his widow Shajar al-Durr and the Mamluk commanders successfully managed the defense, leading to the capture of the French king.

The Ayyubids, particularly Sultan Al-Salih Ayyub, increased the purchase of Kipchak Turkic slaves (Mamluks) to form elite regiments. These soldiers eventually became so powerful that they overthrew the dynasty in 1250 and established the Mamluk Sultanate.

While Cairo was the seat of the primary Sultanate, Damascus remained the spiritual and cultural heart of the Ayyubids in Syria. Saladin himself is buried in a mausoleum next to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.

In 1229, during the Sixth Crusade, Sultan Al-Kamil and Emperor Frederick II signed the Treaty of Jaffa. It was a remarkable diplomatic feat that returned Jerusalem to the Christians (excluding the Temple Mount) without a single battle, though it was controversial among both Muslims and Christians.

Al-Adil I, known to the Crusaders as Safadin, was a brilliant diplomat and general. He spent years consolidating power after Saladin's death, eventually displacing his nephews to become the supreme Sultan of the Ayyubid lands.

After Saladin died in Damascus, the empire was divided between his sons and brothers. This created a decentralized confederation of Ayyubid principalities in Cairo, Damascus, Aleppo, and Hama, often leading to internal power struggles.