Ayyubids

Under the Ayyubids, Cairo replaced Fustat as the central seat of power. The building of the Citadel and the foundation of many religious institutions transformed Cairo into a leading center of the Sunni world.

The Ayyubids frequently supplemented their professional Kurdish and Turkish troops with 'Mutatawi'a'—religious volunteers who joined the Jihad out of piety and for the merit of fighting for Islam.

Established by Sultan Al-Salih Ayyub, the Salihiyya Madrasa was the first in Cairo to provide separate halls for all four major Sunni schools (Shafi'i, Maliki, Hanafi, and Hanbali), promoting a unified Sunni front.

Al-Aziz Uthman, Saladin's son and the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt, died in 1198 following a hunting accident or a fall during polo, which led to a succession crisis among Saladin's heirs.

The Assassins attempted to kill Saladin twice (in 1174 and 1176). In response, Saladin besieged their stronghold at Masyaf. Eventually, a truce was reached, and the Assassins largely focused their efforts on the Crusaders thereafter.

Ablaq is a decorative architectural technique involving alternating courses of different colored stones (usually black basalt and white limestone). This style became a hallmark of Ayyubid and later Mamluk architecture in Syria and Egypt.

Al-Salih Ayyub (r. 1240–1249) managed to overcome his rivals in Damascus and Aleppo, bringing the core Ayyubid territories under his centralized control in Cairo, largely through the use of his powerful Mamluk army.

Ayyubid cavalry combined the Turkic tradition of horse archery with the Iranian/Kurdish tradition of heavy shock cavalry. They used composite bows for skirmishing and lances/swords for the final charge.

Despite the Crusades, the Ayyubids maintained strong economic ties with Italian city-states like Venice, Genoa, and Pisa. These republics maintained warehouses (funduqs) in Alexandria, facilitating the flow of spices and textiles to Europe.

The Rasulids were originally officials serving the Ayyubids in Yemen. When the last Ayyubid governor left, the Rasulids declared independence and established a long-lasting and prosperous dynasty in Yemen.

A failure of the Nile flood led to a horrific famine and plague during the early reign of Al-Adil I. Chroniclers like Abd al-Latif al-Baghdadi recorded the extreme suffering and social collapse that occurred during these two years.

Al-Zahir Ghazi fortified the citadel with a massive glacis (sloping wall), a deep moat, and a monumental gatehouse. His work made the citadel one of the most impregnable fortresses of the era.

Baha ad-Din Qaraqush was a Greek eunuch who became a loyal servant of the Ayyubids. He was responsible for overseeing the construction of the Cairo Citadel and the city walls of Cairo and Acre.

The True Cross, the most sacred relic of the Crusaders, was captured at Hattin. Saladin held it as a prize, and despite numerous attempts by the Crusaders to ransom it back, it eventually disappeared from historical records.

Sultan Al-Kamil built the massive dome over the tomb of Imam al-Shafi'i in 1211. This site remains one of the most important and architecturally significant religious monuments in Cairo.

Hisn Kayfa (modern Hasankeyf in Turkey) was the seat of a minor Ayyubid branch that survived as local lords for centuries, eventually becoming vassals of the Aq Qoyunlu and then the Ottomans.

Al-Nasir Yusuf ruled both Aleppo and Damascus. He attempted to build a coalition against the Mongols but failed. He was eventually captured and executed by the Mongols in 1260.

The Battle of Hattin took place on a plain near the double-peaked hill known as the Horns of Hattin. The location was strategically chosen by Saladin to trap the thirsty Crusader army away from the water of the Sea of Galilee.

Al-Kamil was often called the King of the Nile because of his mastery over Egypt's defense using the river's geography and his diplomatic skill in maintaining the prosperous Egyptian state.

After Nur ad-Din's death, Saladin marched from Egypt to Damascus. He was welcomed by the inhabitants who preferred his leadership over the chaos of Nur ad-Din's minor heir, marking the start of his Syrian empire.