Selâhaddîn

Selâhaddîn (Selâhaddîn-i Eyyûbî / Selâhaddîn Yûsuf b. Necmeddîn Eyyûb b. Şâdî) is the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and the ruler who governed Mısır, Suriye, and el-Cezîre in the 12. yüzyıl.

The Ayyubid State and the Crusaders

The Ayyubid State, whose foundations were laid by Selâhaddîn, brought a significant part of Hicaz, Yemen, Suriye, Filistin, Kuzey Afrika, and el-Cezîre under its rule shortly after seizing power in Mısır in 564/1169. Established during a period when the Frenkler threatened the East, the state waged an exhausting struggle against the Crusaders because the regions under its dominion were the primary targets of the Üçüncü, Beşinci, Altıncı, and Yedinci Haçlı seferleri; despite these conditions, it fostered a powerful civilization by patronizing scholars and cultural activities (Cilt 1, s. 151).

Patronage of Science and Culture

After establishing his rule in Dımaşk, Selâhaddîn gathered prominent scholars and statesmen of the period around him. He invited Üsâme b. Münkız, known for his experiences with the Crusaders, to Dımaşk, granted him a salary, allocated a house and land, and consulted him on military and political matters. Üsâme passed away in Dımaşk in 584/1188 after having the joy of seeing Kudüs captured by Selâhaddîn (Cilt 1, s. 153). Another example of Selâhaddîn's scholarly patronage is Abdüllatîf el-Bağdâdî, who came to Kudüs to meet him in 1192; Selâhaddîn, appreciating Bağdâdî's scholarly knowledge, appointed him as a professor at the Dımaşk Camii with a monthly salary of 100 dinars (Cilt 1, s. 164).

During his reign, scholars dedicated various works to him. Şeyzerî presented two works to Sultan Selâhaddîn, including en-Nehcü'l-Meslûk fî Siyâseti'l-Mülûk, which details the intricacies of state administration; en-Nehcü'l-Meslûk, written for guidance and consisting of twenty chapters, later became one of the works frequently consulted by the Ottoman sultan I. Selim (Cilt 1, s. 154). Tabsıratu Erbâbi'l-Elbâb, one of the most important books written in the Middle Ages on weapon technology and war strategies, was presented by Tarsûsî to Sultan Selâhaddîn before the Akka Kuşatması, which began in 1189 (Cilt 1, s. 155).

Bureaucracy and Urban Development

The Selâhaddîn period is also distinguished by its powerful bureaucrats and developed dîvân organization. Individuals to be appointed as heads of other dîvâns were assigned according to the preferences of Kâdiyü'l-Fâzıl; el-Kâdî remained in Mısır between 585-586/1189-90 to supervise financial administration and reorganize the army and navy, staying by Selâhaddîn's side until his death in 1193 (Cilt 1, s. 156). Kâdı el-Fâzıl's letters are among the primary firsthand sources for the political and cultural history of the period; although his work el-Muyâvamât, also known as el-Müteceddîdât, which recorded the activities and economic developments in the Mısır dîvâns as daily logs, has not survived to the present day, İbn Hallikân and Makrîzî quoted extensively from it (Cilt 1, s. 157). İmâdüddîn el-İsfahânî, one of Selâhaddîn's most trusted men and his private secretary, compiled his memoirs, in which he likened his days alongside Nûreddîn Zengî and Selâhaddîn to a flashing lightning, in his work titled Berku'ş-Şâmî (Şam Şimşeği) (Cilt 1, s. 158-159). İbn Memmâti, appointed by Selâhaddîn as the head of Dîvânülceyş upon his father's death in 578/1172, later became Nâzirüddevâvîn, overseeing all financial dîvâns (Cilt 1, s. 160).

The Selâhaddîn period also witnessed urban development activities; Emîr Karakuş, one of his commanders, had numerous small pyramids demolished and used their stones to build the city walls of Kahire and Fustat, as well as the Kahire Kalesi (Cilt 1, s. 165).

Sources of the Period

The primary sources about Selâhaddîn's life and period are largely Arabic chronicles and biographical works. İbn Şeddâd's monograph titled en-Nevâdirü's-Sultâniyye ve'l-Mehâsinü'l-Yûsufiyye was written on Selâhaddîn's birth, youth, virtues, wars, and conquests; the author based the part after 584/1188, when he entered Selâhaddîn's service, on his own observations and testimonies (Cilt 1, s. 168). Although the biography Kenzü'l-Muvahhidîn fî Sîreti Selâhaddîn by the Shiite historian İbn Ebî Tayyi from Halep contains important information, it has not survived to the present day (Cilt 1, s. 200). Among the foremost sources that should be consulted to determine the dynamics of Ayyubid history are the works of İbnü'l-Esîr, Bahâeddîn b. Şeddâd, İmâdüddîn el-İsfahânî, Kâdî el-Fâzıl, and İbn Ebî Tayyi, who were contemporaries of Selâhaddîn (Cilt 1, s. 202).