Salah al-Din enters Damascus without fighting in 570

دخول صلاح الدين دمشق بلا قتال سنة 570

c. 1174 CE · 570 AH

In 570 Salah al-Din took Damascus without a blow or a thrust — the young al-Salih Isma'il, Nur al-Din's heir, rode in his entourage to Aleppo — then besieged Homs with mangonels, took Hama in Jumada II, besieged Aleppo, doubled back to Homs and Baalbek, and routed Izz al-Din Mas'ud of Mosul's army at the Qurun of Hama in a crushing defeat; he left his brother Sayf al-Islam over Damascus while al-Adil held Egypt ¹.

Summary

In 570 AH Salah al-Din came and took Damascus without a blow or a thrust. Al-Salih Isma'il ibn Nur al-Din, the martyr, went to Aleppo with his entourage ².

The campaign in Syria

Salah al-Din then marched and besieged Homs with siege engines, and then Manbij. He took Hama in Jumada al-Akhira. He besieged Aleppo and handled the affairs of Nur al-Din's family badly. Then he withdrew, took back Homs, turned to Baalbek and took it. He met Izz al-Din Mas'ud ibn Mawdud, ruler of Mosul and brother of its ruler, and the people of Mosul were routed on the slopes of Hama in a terrible defeat. He left his brother Saif al-Islam in charge of Damascus, while his brother al-Adil was in Egypt ¹.

Death of Salah al-Din at Damascus

In Safar 589 Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadhi died at Damascus. He had ridden out to meet the pilgrims, and on his return he fell ill the same day with a severe illness that lasted eight days. Before the illness he had summoned his son al-Afdal Ali and his brother al-Malik al-Adil Abu Bakr and asked their counsel: 'We are now free of the Franks; where shall we aim?' Al-Adil advised a campaign against Khilat, where he had been promised lands; al-Afdal advised the lands of Rum held by the sons of Qilij Arslan, which were larger, had more troops, were quicker to take, and lay on the Franks' route if they came overland. Salah al-Din said: 'You are both remiss and lacking in resolve. Rather, I shall march on the lands of Rum, and you, Adil, take some of my sons and the army to Khilat; when I have finished I will come to you, and we will enter Azerbaijan and join the lands of the 'Ajam, where none will bar us.' He then let al-Adil set off for al-Karak, and Salah al-Din fell ill and died before al-Adil returned. Ibn al-Athir mentions his forbearance: a mamluk threw a sarmuz at some men and it landed near him, and he turned to the other side and spoke to his companion so as to overlook it. He asked for water five times at one sitting and it was not brought, and he said: 'My companions, by God, thirst has killed me!' Water was brought and he drank, and he did not reproach the delay.

Salah al-Din enters Damascus without fighting in 570

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The campaign in Syria

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Death of Salah al-Din at Damascus