| As-Salih Ismail al-Malik | |
|---|---|
| Emir | |
 Coinage of Al-Salih Isma`il, Halab, dated 571 H (1175-1176 CE) | |
| Emir of Aleppo and Damascus of Zengid | |
| Reign | 1174 (few months) |
| Predecessor | Nur ad-Din |
| Successor | Salah ad-Din (as Ayyubid sultan) |
| Born | 1163 (1163) |
| Died | 1181 (aged 17–18) |
| Arabic | الصالح إسماعيل |
| House | Zengid |
| Father | Nur ad-Din |
| Religion | Sunni Islam |
Abu al-Fath Ismail bin Nur al-Din Mahmud bin Imad al-Din bin Aq Sunqur al-Zangi (Arabic: أبو الفتوح إسماعيل بن نور الدين محمود بن عماد الدين بن آق سنقر الزنكي) commonly known as As-Salih Ismaʿil al-Malik (Arabic: الصالح إسماعيل) (Full name: (1163–1181) was the Zengid emir of Damascus and emir of Aleppo in 1174, the son of Nur ad-Din.
Biography
He was only eleven years old when his father died in 1174. As-Salih came under the protection of the eunuch Gümüshtekin and was taken to Aleppo, while Nur ad-Din's officers competed for supremacy. In Egypt, Saladin recognized as-Salih as his lord, although he in fact was eager to unite Egypt and Syria under his own personal rule. In 1174, Saladin took Baalbek after a four-month siege and then entered Damascus, proclaiming himself to be Ismail's true regent. In 1176, Saladin defeated the Zengids outside the city, married Ismat ad-Din Khatun, and was recognized as ruler of Syria. As-Salih died in 1181 of illness. Following his death, Saladin took control of Aleppo and added it to his rule under the expanding Ayyubid Sultanate. According to crusader legend, his mother was the sister of Bertrand of Toulouse, Razi Khatun, who had been captured by Nur ad-Din in the aftermath of the Second Crusade; a similar legend existed concerning the mother of Zengi, as-Salih's grandfather.
References
- EI (1913), p. 543.
- ^ "Zangids". islamiccoins.ancients.info (in Arabic).
- ^ The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades, Extracted and Translated from the Chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi. H.A.R. Gibb, 1932 (reprint, Dover Publications, 2002)
- The Crusades, The Authoritative History of the War for the Holy Land, Thomas Asbridge, 2010
Bibliography
- "Baalbek", Encyclopaedia of Islam: A Dictionary of the Geography, Ethnography, and Biography of the Muhammadan Peoples, 1st ed., Vol. I, Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1913, pp. 543–544, ISBN 9004082654.
| Regnal titles | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded byNur ad-Din Zangi | Emir of Damascus 1174 |
Succeeded bySaladin |
  | This Syria biography article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
 | This Syria history article is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |
.svg){kind=small} | This biography of a member of a Middle Eastern royal house is a stub. You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it. |