Eyyûbîler

The Ayyubids are an Islamic dynasty whose foundations were laid by Saladin Yusuf b. Najm al-Din Ayyub b. Shadi, and who ruled over a vast geography centered in Egypt, Syria, and al-Jazira from the 12th century to the 15th century. Shortly after the state seized power in Egypt in 564/1169, it brought Hijaz, Yemen, Syria, Palestine, North Africa, and a significant part of al-Jazira under its dominion (Volume 1, p. 151).

Establishment and Crusader Struggle

As a result of political and military crises in the mid-13th century, although a significant portion of its territories was lost, the dynasty maintained its existence in Hama until 740/1341 and in Hasankeyf until 866/1462. The territories of the Ayyubid State, established at a time when the Franks threatened the East, became the primary target of the Third, Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Crusades; the dynasty, which waged an extraordinary struggle to stop the Crusaders, established a powerful civilization by patronizing scholars and cultural activities despite the exhausting war conditions (Volume 1, p. 151).

Historiography and Social History

The Ayyubid period is quite rich in terms of historiography. A historical understanding emerged where epistemological and theological allusions seen in previous periods decreased, and the emphasis on matters related to state administration increased. This new orientation took on a character that relied more on various types of records and archives to broaden the subject of history to include economic and social processes. With historians examining the lives of the ruling class and their circles to investigate the daily functioning of the state, interest in biographical works became widespread; and the biographies of figures belonging to the increasingly powerful ulema class began to be treated more prominently than before (Volume 1, p. 152). The period also left important sources for social history with works providing information about approximately seventy-seven professions in the trade and industry sectors (Volume 1, p. 154).

Administration and Military Literature

The Ayyubid administration laid the groundwork for siyasetname-type works authored on state administration. Shayzari's twenty-chapter work en-Nahj al-Masluk fi Siyasat al-Muluk, dedicated to Sultan Saladin and concerning the intricacies of state administration, is foremost among these works; the work later became one of the frequently consulted works by Ottoman Sultan Selim I (Volume 1, p. 154). The dynasty's defense needs also nourished military literature; Harawi's al-Tadhkira al-Harawiyya fi al-Hiyal al-Harbiyya, written for the Ayyubid ruler of Aleppo, al-Malik al-Zahir, was penned as one of the important works on medieval warfare during this period when a successful defense against Crusader attacks was developed (Volume 1, p. 161).

Bureaucracy and Patronage of Knowledge

The Ayyubid bureaucracy brought together the most influential intellectuals of the era. Qadi al-Fadil, one of the most influential bureaucrats and intellectuals of Saladin's era, was decisive in appointments to divan presidencies before the sultan (Volume 1, p. 156). Imad al-Din al-Isfahani, who also served as Saladin's private secretary and was considered the greatest munshi and scribe of the era, also left works such as al-Barq al-Shami concerning the periods of Nur al-Din and Saladin, as a famous poet, litterateur, and historian (Volume 1, pp. 158-159). Ibn Mammati, who undertook the presidency of the Diwan al-Jaysh and the supervision of financial divans in financial administration, shed light on the state organization with his Qawanin al-Dawawin, dedicated to the Ayyubid ruler al-Malik al-Aziz (Volume 1, p. 160); Nabulusi also provided detailed information about the functioning of divans such as Diwan al-Jaysh, Diwan al-Ahbas, and Diwan al-Mal in his Luma' al-Qawanin al-Madiyya, presented to al-Malik al-Salih (Volume 1, p. 177).

The dynasty's patronage of knowledge led to the emergence of the era's major historical and biographical works. Ibn al-Athir's al-Kamil, born in Cizre, al-Jazira, is among the primary sources for identifying political and military events centered in al-Jazira during the first half of the Ayyubid period, and it also contains narratives about Saladin's campaigns (Volume 1, pp. 165-166). Ibn al-Qifti, who served as vizier to the Ayyubid rulers of Aleppo, patronized scholars and established a rich library with the opportunities provided by his high-ranking positions (Volume 1, p. 170). Abu Shama's Tarajim Rijal al-Qarnayn, written as a supplement to al-Rawdatayn, is a fundamental source for the cultural history of the Ayyubids after Saladin and provides original information about al-Malik al-Kamil's siege of Damascus in 635/1238 and the Mongol siege in 658/1260 (Volume 1, pp. 175, 179). Ibn Shaddad, one of the important bureaucrats of the Ayyubid and Mamluk periods, and Ibn Wasil, who grew up in Damascus, Aleppo, Karak, and Hama under the patronage of Ayyubid rulers, are authors who personally witnessed this era of Mongol and Crusader threats (Volume 1, pp. 185-186).

The dynasty's influence was not limited to Egypt and Syria but also extended to Yemen. Ibn al-Mujawir devoted extensive space in his work to the Ayyubids' dominion over Yemen and recorded valuable information for the social history of the Yemen Ayyubids (Volume 1, p. 167). All these works demonstrate that the Ayyubid period was not merely an era of military and political struggle, but also a period of powerful civilization that produced a rich corpus of sources on historiography, biography, administration, and social life (Volume 1, p. 152).