Baibars Baibars or Baybars ( , " al - Malik al - Zahir Rukn al - Din Baibars al - Bunduqdari " ) , nicknamed Abu l - Futuh ( Arabic : أبو الفتوح ) ( 1223 – 1 July 1277 ) was the fourth Sultan of Egypt from the Mamluk Bahri dynasty . He was one of the commanders of the Egyptian forces that inflicted a devastating defeat on the Seventh Crusade of King Louis IX of France . He also led the vanguard of the Egyptian army at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 , which marked the first substantial defeat of the Mongol army , and is considered a turning point in history . Baibars ' reign marked the start of an age of Mamluk dominance in the Eastern Mediterranean , and solidified the durability of their military system . He managed to pave the way for the end of the Crusader presence in the Levant , and reinforced the union of Egypt and Syria as the region ' s pre - eminent Arab and Muslim state , able to fend off threats from both Crusaders and Mongols . As Sultan , Baibars also engaged in a combination of diplomacy and military action , which allowed the Mamluks of Egypt to greatly expand their empire . Biography . Early life . Born in the Dasht - I - Kipchak , between rivers of Edil ( Volga ) and Yaiyk ( Ural ) , Baibars was a Turkic Kipchak / Cuman ( from Berish tribe , that currently lives in Kazakhstan ) . He was fair - skinned , blond , very tall and had a cataract in one of his bluish eyes . It was said that he was captured by the Mongols in the Kipchak steppe and sold as a slave , ending up in Syria . Baibars was quickly sold to a Mamluk officer called Aydekin al bondouqdar , and sent to Egypt , where he became a bodyguard to the Ayyubid ruler As - Salih Ayyub . Rise to power . Baibars was a commander of the Mamluks in around 1250 , when he defeated the Seventh Crusade of Louis IX of France . He was still a commander under Sultan Qutuz at the Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 , when he decisively defeated the Mongols . After the battle , Sultan Qutuz ( aka Koetoez ) was assassinated while on a hunting expedition . It was said that Baibars was involved in the assassination because he expected to be rewarded with the governorship of Aleppo for his military success ; but Qutuz , fearing his ambition , refused to give such a post and disappointed him . Baibars succeeded Qutuz as Sultan of Egypt . Sultan of Egypt . He continued what was to become a lifelong struggle against the Crusader kingdoms in Syria , starting with the Principality of Antioch , which had become a vassal state of the Mongols , and participated in attacks against Islamic targets in Damascus and Syria . In 1263 , Baibars attacked Acre , the capital of the remnant of the Kingdom of Jerusalem , but was unable to take it . Nevertheless , he defeated the Crusaders in many other battles ( Arsuf , Athlith , Haifa , Safad , Jaffa , Ashkalon , Caesarea ) . In 1266 Baibars invaded the Christian country of Cilician Armenia , which , under King Hethum I , had submitted to the Mongol Empire . This isolated Antioch and Tripoli , led by Hetum ' s son - in - law , Prince Bohemond VI . In 1268 , Baibars besieged Antioch , capturing the city on 18 May . Baibars had promised to spare the lives of the inhabitants , but broke his promise and had the city razed , killing or enslaving the population upon surrender . This tactic was common in Baibars ' campaigns , and was largely responsible for the swiftness of his victories . Baibars then turned his attention to Tripoli , but interrupted his siege there to call a truce in May 1271 . The fall of Antioch had led to the brief Ninth Crusade , led by Prince Edward of England , who arrived in Acre in May 1271 and attempted to ally with the Mongols against Baibars . So Baibars declared a truce with Tripoli , as well as with Edward ( who was never able to capture any territory from Baibars anyway ) . According to some reports , Baibars tried to have Edward assassinated with poison , but Edward survived the attempt , and returned home in 1272 . In 1277 , Baibars invaded the Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm , then dominated by the Mongols . He defeated a Mongol army at the Battle of Elbistan , captured the city of Kayseri , but was unable to hold any of his Anatolian conquests and quickly withdrew to Syria . Death . Baibars died in Damascus on 1 July 1277 . His demise has been the subject of some academic speculation . Many sources agree that he died from drinking poisoned kumis that was intended for someone else . Other accounts suggest that he may have died from a wound while campaigning , or from illness . He was buried in the Az - Zahiriyah Library in Damascus . Family . Baibars married several women and had seven daughters and three sons . Two of his sons , al - Said Barakah and Solamish , became sultans . Assessment . As the first Sultan of the Bahri Mamluk dynasty , Baibars made the meritocratic ascent up the ranks of Mamluk society . He took final control after the assassination of Sultan Sayf al Din Qutuz , but before he became Sultan he was the commander of the Mamluk forces in the most important battle of the Middle Periods , repelling a Mongol force at the legendary Battle of Ain Jalut in 1260 . Although in the Muslim World he has been considered a national hero for centuries , and in Egypt , Syria and Kazakhstan is still regarded as such , Sultan Baibars was reviled in the Christian world of the time for his seemingly unending victorious campaigns . A Templar knight who fought in the Seventh Crusade lamented : Baibars also played an important role in bringing the Mongols to Islam . He developed strong ties with the Mongols of the Golden Horde and took steps for the Golden Horde Mongols to travel to Egypt . The arrival of the Golden Horde Mongols to Egypt resulted in a significant number of Mongols accepting Islam . Legacy . Baibars was a popular ruler in the Muslim World who had defeated the crusaders in three campaigns , and the Mongols in the Battle of Ain Jalut which many scholars deem of great macro - historical importance . In order to support his military campaigns , Baibars commissioned arsenals , warships and cargo vessels . He was also arguably the first to employ explosive hand cannon s in war , at the Battle of Ain Jalut . His military campaign also extended into Libya and Nubia . He was also an efficient administrator who took interest in building various infrastructure projects , such as a mounted message relay system capable of delivery from Cairo to Damascus in four days . He also built bridges , irrigation and shipping canals , improved the harbours , and built mosques . He was also a patron of Islamic science , such as his support for the medical research by his Arab physician , Ibn al - Nafis . As a testament of a special relationship between Islam and cats , Baibars left a cat garden in Cairo as a waqf , providing the cats of Cairo with food and shelter . His memoirs were recorded in " Sirat al - Zahir Baibars " ( " Life of al - Zahir Baibars " ) , a popular Arabic romance recording his battles and achievements . He has a heroic status in Kazakhstan , as well as in Egypt and Syria . " Al - Madrassa al - Zahiriyya " is the school built adjacent to his Mausoleum in Damascus . The Az - Zahiriyah library , has a wealth of manuscripts in various branches of knowledge to this day . The library and Mausoleum are being reconstructed by Kazakhstan government fund . Presently the Minister of Culture and Information of Kazakhstan Mukhtar Kul - Mukhammed said that within the realization of Cultural Heritage Kazakh Strategic Project for 2009 – 2011 Astana have launched reconstruction of the Sultan Beibars Mausoleum in Damascus and his Mosque in Cairo in order to propagate Kazakhstan ' s national historical heritage on the international level .