As-Salih Ismail al-Malik

As-Salih Ismaʿil al-Malik (1163–1181) was an emir of Damascus and emir of Aleppo in 1174, the son of Nur ad-Din.

Zengid Dynasty Coat of Arms
Prince of Zengid Dynasty
Born	1163 (1163)
Died	1181 (aged 17–18)
House	Zengid dynasty
Father	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 Gümüshtegin 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[1] and then entered Damascus, proclaiming himself to be Ismail's true regent. In 1176, he defeated the Zengids outside the city, married Nur ad-Din's widow Ismat ad-Din Khatun, and was recognized as ruler of Syria. As-Salih died in 1181 of illness.[2][3] According to crusader legend, his mother was the sister of Bertrand of Toulouse, 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.[2][3][4]

References

1. EI (1913), p. 543.
2. http://islamiccoins.ancients.info/Zangids/ZangidsHistory.htm
3. 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)
4. 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.

Regnal titles
Preceded by Nur ad-Din Zangi	Emir of Damascus 1174	Succeeded by Saladin