Ayyubid Iqta Land System

Timeline

1. 1171–1180Cairo · Ayyubid SultanateSaladin abolished Fatimid iqta al-waqf and other old systems, dividing the taxes of the Nile Delta and Syrian cities into military iqtas granted to commanders and soldiers in place of fixed pay, strengthening field-battle capability against the crusaders.
2. 1181–1190Damascus · Ayyubid SultanateIn the 1180s taxes of cities such as Hama, Homs, and Damascus and their surrounding villages were divided into iqtas held by the sultan's relatives and generals to support garrison troops; revenues expanded after the Battle of Hattin in 1187, but the grants also planted the seeds of rivalry among the brother kings.
3. 1193–1250Levant and Egypt · Ayyubid statesAfter Saladin's death the Ayyubid kings divided Egypt, Syria, and Mesopotamia among themselves, each using iqtas to support armies and competing for strategic resources such as Jerusalem; the institutional framework continued until the Mamluk coup of 1250.