Ayyubid Sultanate

The **Ayyubid Sultanate** (Arabic: الأيوبيون _al-Ayyūbīyūn_; Kurdish: ئەیووبیەکان, Eyûbiyan) was a Sunni Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origin that ruled Egypt, Syria, the Jazira and the Yemen in the 12th and 13th centuries. The name of the dynasty is attributed to Ayyub b. Shadhi, the father of Saladin. The Ayyūbids played a significant role in the history of the region, notably ending Fatimid, uniting Syria and Egypt, and defeating the Crusaders.

Saladin, founder of the dynasty, was Kurdish and the former vizier of Fatimid Caliphate.

## Kurd or Arab?

Bosworth states that the Ayyubids belonged to the Hadhbani tribe of the Kurds, but argues that the Ayyubids were considerably Arabized.

Humphreys also identifies Saladin as a Kurd and the Ayyubids as a Kurdish family. He argues that the Ayyubids were not specifically a Kurdish state, and that at the level of political structure, the governing attitudes of the Ayyubid confederation were not significantly different from those of previous Arab states such as the Abbasids and Fatimids, which can certainly be attributed to the political institutions of their original homeland. Humphreys takes into account Minorsky's speculations on the "Arab origins" of the Ayyubids.

Tabaa, on the other hand, argues that over time the Ayyubids drastically moved away from their Kurdish origins and became decidedly Arabized.

### Medieval historiography

Various medieval historians spoke of Saladin's Kurdishness:

Minhaj-i Siraj Juzjani (1193–1266) at _Tabaqat-i Nasiri_:

The Chronography of Bar Habraeus (1225–1286):

Ibn Khallikan (1211–1282) at _Wafayat al-Ayan_:

## Infobox (country)

- **conventional long name**: Ayyubid Sultanate
- **common name**: Ayyubids
- **native name**:

- **image flag**: Saladin's Standard.svg
- **image flag2**: Flag of Ayyubid Dynasty.svg
- **image map**: Ayyubid_Sultanate_1193_AD.jpg
- **religion**: Sunni Islam (Shafi)
- **government type**: Sultanate (princely confederation) under Abbasid Caliphate
- **currency**: Dinar, Dirham
- **footnotes**: <sup>a</sup>A branch of the Ayyubid dynasty ruled Hisn Kayfa until the 1524.
<sup>b</sup>The total population of the Ayyubid territories is unknown. This population figure only includes Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, Palestine and Transjordan. Other Ayyubid territories, including coastal areas of Yemen, the Hejaz, Nubia and Cyrenaica are not included.
- **status**: Sovereign state
(1171–1260)
- **year end**: 1260<sup>a</sup>
- **year start**: 1171
- **flag type**: Left: Banner of the Ayyubid Dynasty
Right: Reconstruction of Saladin's personal standard
- **image map caption**: Ayyubids (in pink) at the death of Saladin in 1193
- **common languages**: Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish
- **title leader**: Sultan
- **year leader1**: 1174–1193
- **leader1**: Saladin (first)
- **year leader2**: 1193–1198
- **leader2**: Al-Aziz
- **year leader3**: 1198–1200
- **leader3**: Al-Mansur
- **year leader4**: 1200–1218
- **leader4**: Al-Adil I
- **year leader5**: 1218–1238
- **leader5**: Al-Kamil
- **year leader6**: 1238–1240
- **leader6**: Al-Adil II
- **year leader7**: 1240–1249
- **leader7**: As-Salih Ayyub
- **year leader8**: 1249–1250
- **leader8**: Al-Muazzam Turanshah
- **year leader9**: 1250–1260
- **leader9**: An-Nasir Yusuf
- **stat area1**: 2000000
- **stat area3**: 1700000
- **stat year1**: 1190 est.
- **stat year2**: 12th century
- **stat year3**: 1200 est.
- **stat pop2**: 7,200,000 (estimate)<sup>b</sup>