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Shirkuh

Type Figure Region Syria Time 1109–1169 Also known as Shirkuh、Asad ad-Din Shirkuh、阿萨德·丁·什库尔

Shirkuh was a Kurdish military commander serving Nūr ad-Dīn Zengi; he led his nephew Saladin on three expeditions to Egypt, finally defeating Fatimid…

Timeline

  1. 1109–1146Diyarbakır · DiyarbakırFrom a Kurdish military family of Tikrit, he and his brother Ayyub joined the Zengid cause. Honed cavalry-archery and infantry coordination tactics on the Syrian battlefield, gradually rising to prominence, and raised his nephew Saladin.
  2. 1146–1154Aleppo · AleppoAfter the death of Imad ad-Din Zengi, Shirkuh served Nūr ad-Dīn, taking part in operations toward Antioch and Edessa. By the late 1140s and early 1150s he had become one of the most trusted commanders on the Syrian front.
  3. 1164–1169Cairo · CairoOn Nūr ad-Dīn's orders, led his nephew Saladin three times south to intervene in Fatimid civil strife, repeatedly contending with vizier Shawar. Finally captured Cairo in 1169 and became Fatimid vizier, but died of illness two months later, power passing to Saladin.

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