Nasir ad-Din al-Malik al-Mansur Ibrahim bin Asad ad-Din Shirkuh, better known as al-Mansur Ibrahim, ( ar, المنصور إبراهيم d. June 28, 1246) was a
Kurdish
Kurdish may refer to:
*Kurds or Kurdish people
*Kurdish languages
*Kurdish alphabets
*Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes:
**Southern Kurdistan
**Eastern Kurdistan
**Northern Kurdistan
**Western Kurdistan
See also
* Kurd (dis ...
ruler, the ''
emir
Emir (; ar, أمير ' ), sometimes transliterated amir, amier, or ameer, is a word of Arabic origin that can refer to a male monarch, aristocrat, holder of high-ranking military or political office, or other person possessing actual or cer ...
'' ("governor") of the
Homs principality from 1240 to 1246 under the
Ayyubid dynasty. He held Homs with relative independence, but initially as under the command of
as-Salih Ismail of
Damascus. He would later fight against as-Salih Ismail and his
Khwarezemid allies—al-Mansur confronted the latter in 1241, 1242, 1244, and 1246.
Military campaigns
In January 1241, al-Mansur was appointed commander-in-chief of the allied Ayyubid-
Seljuk Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to:
* Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia
* Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities
* Seljuk (warlord) (di ...
forces, and pursued any
Khwarezimid army that crossed the
Euphrates
The Euphrates () is the longest and one of the most historically important rivers of Western Asia. Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers''). Originating in Turkey, the Eup ...
, pillaging several Syrian towns. Al-Mansur caught up with them at
Raqqa
Raqqa ( ar, ٱلرَّقَّة, ar-Raqqah, also and ) (Kurdish: Reqa/ ڕەقە) is a city in Syria on the northeast bank of the Euphrates River, about east of Aleppo. It is located east of the Tabqa Dam, Syria's largest dam. The Hellenistic, ...
, but could not prevent them from retreating back to their base in
Harran
Harran (), historically known as Carrhae ( el, Kάρραι, Kárrhai), is a rural town and district of the Şanlıurfa Province in southeastern Turkey, approximately 40 kilometres (25 miles) southeast of Urfa and 20 kilometers from the border cr ...
to regroup. On April 25, al-Mansur managed to draw the Khwarezemids into a pitched battle near
Edessa and defeated them decisively. Surviving Khwarezemid soldiers fled to Harran where they gathered their families and moved south to territory controlled by the
Abbasid Caliphate
The Abbasid Caliphate ( or ; ar, الْخِلَافَةُ الْعَبَّاسِيَّة, ') was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abdul-Muttalib ...
. Most of the captured territory was taken by the Ayyubids of
Aleppo and the Seljuks, but al-Mansur annexed al-Khabur and Qarqisiyya to his own principality. He joined forces with the Seljuk army and together they overwhelmed the fortress of
Amid held by the sultan
as-Salih Ayyub who attempted to hold
Syria and
al-Jazira
Jazira or Al-Jazira ( 'island'), or variants, may refer to:
Business
*Jazeera Airways, an airlines company based in Kuwait
Locations
* Al-Jazira, a traditional region known today as Upper Mesopotamia or the smaller region of Cizre
* Al-Jazira ( ...
for his Ayyubid
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
. In al-Mansur's campaign, all of Ayyub's possessions, except for
Hisn Kayfa
Hasankeyf ( ar, حصن كيفا, translit=Ḥiṣn Kayfa‘, ku, Heskîf, hy, Հասանքեյֆ, translit=, el, Κιφας, translit=Kifas, lat, Cepha, syr, ܚܣܢܐ ܕܟܐܦܐ, Ḥesno d-Kifo) is a town and district located along the Ti ...
, were taken.
In August 1242, al-Mansur again defeated a Khwarezemid expeditionary force in the Aleppo area. In 1243, as-Salih Ayyub attempted to secure a peace agreement with as-Salih Ismail establishing
an-Nasir Dawud who held
Transjordan as the common enemy, and thus al-Mansur was required to recognize the former as sultan. As-Salih Ismail sent him to besiege an-Nasir's fortress at
Ajlun
Ajloun ( ar, عجلون, ''‘Ajlūn''), also spelled Ajlun, is the capital town of the Ajloun Governorate, a hilly town in the north of Jordan, located 76 kilometers (around 47 miles) north west of Amman. It is noted for its impressive ruins of t ...
. In 1244, Egypt and Syria again broke ties, and al-Mansur joined as-Salih Ismail's federation. They advanced towards Egypt, with as-Salih Ismail heading for
Gaza,
an-Nasir Dawud for
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
, while al-Mansur proceeded towards
Acre. Before al-Mansur reached the city, the Khwarezemids again crossed the Euphrates into Ayyubid territory. Al-Mansur left to fight them, but in the resulting
Battle of La Forbie
The Battle of La Forbie, also known as the Battle of Hiribya, was fought October 17, 1244 – October 18, 1244 between the allied armies (drawn from the Kingdom of Jerusalem, the crusading orders, the breakaway Ayyubids of Damascus, Homs, ...
his army was overwhelmed and he narrowly escaped with a few followers.
The Khwarezemids, with the aid of Jamiul of
Salkhad
Salkhad ( ar, صَلْخَد, Ṣalḫad) is a Syrian city in the As-Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria.
It is the capital of Salkhad District, one of the governorate's three districts. It has a population of 15,000 inhabitants.
It is located ...
besieged Damascus in March 1246 and were joined by as-Salih Arif Ismail who now held
Baalbek. The siege was so severe that the inhabitants were reported to have been feeding on carrion and dogs. However, al-Mansur and
an-Nasir Yusuf
An-Nasir Yusuf ( ar, الناصر يوسف; AD 1228–1260), fully al-Malik al-Nasir Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn al-Aziz ibn al-Zahir ibn Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shazy (), was the Ayyubid Emir of Syria from his seat in Aleppo (123 ...
of
Aleppo made an alliance and decided to confront the Khwarwezmids, who they feared could take control of Syria should they seize Damascus. The prospect troubled al-Mansur especially since relieving Damascus would strengthen the grip of his enemy as-Salih Ayyub in southern Syria. Nonetheless, al-Mansur led a force of
Turkmen and
Bedouin mercenaries towards Damascus. The Khwarezemids and their allies met al-Mansur near
Lake Homs
Lake Homs ( ar, بحيرة حمص) (also called Lake Qattinah, ar, بحيرة قطينة) is a lake near Homs, Syria, fed by the Orontes River. The lake is from the city of Homs, and spans over .
The lake is artificial, created by the Lake Hom ...
where they were dealt a major defeat, ending Khwarezemid power in Syria forever. Afterward, al-Mansur moved on to
Baalbek which was defended by as-Salih Ismail's son al-Manssur Mahmud. Al-Mansur Ibrahim overran the outer town with ease, but retreated after reaching its formidable citadel and returned to Homs.
Death
At this point, as-Salih Ayyub invited al-Mansur to Egypt, possibly pursuant to an agreement granting him Damascus. He did not hesitate to accept the invitation, but by the time he reached Damascus he was reported to be gravely ill. He died in the
Ghouta town of
Nayrab on June 28, 1246 and was succeeded by his son
al-Ashraf Musa. Under al-Mansur, Homs, the smallest Ayyubid principality, wielded great influence in imperial affairs, but with his demise, it returned to its accustomed passivity.
[Humphreys, 1977, p.288.]
References
Bibliography
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur Ibrahim
1246 deaths
13th-century Kurdish people
13th-century Ayyubid rulers
Kurdish rulers
Year of birth unknown