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 ruler, the ''
emir'' ("governor") of the
Homs
Homs ( , , , ; ar, حِمْص / ALA-LC: ; Levantine Arabic: / ''Ḥomṣ'' ), known in pre-Islamic Syria as Emesa ( ; grc, Ἔμεσα, Émesa), is a city in western Syria and the capital of the Homs Governorate. It is Metres above sea level ...
principality from 1240 to 1246 under the
Ayyubid dynasty
The Ayyubid dynasty ( ar, الأيوبيون '; ) was the founding dynasty of the medieval Sultan of Egypt, Sultanate of Egypt established by Saladin in 1171, following his abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate, Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt. A Sunni ...
. He held Homs with relative independence, but initially as under the command of
as-Salih Ismail
As-Salih Ismail may refer to:
*As-Salih Ismail, Emir of Damascus, the Ayyubid ruler of Damascus in the mid-13th century
*As-Salih Ismail, Sultan of Egypt, the Mamluk sultan of Egypt between 1342 and 1345
*As-Salih Ismail al-Malik
As-Salih Isma ...
of
Damascus
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. 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 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. Tigris–Euphrates river system, Together with the Tigris, it is one of the two defining rivers of Mesopotamia ( ''the land between the rivers'') ...
, pillaging several Syrian towns. Al-Mansur caught up with them at
Raqqa, but could not prevent them from retreating back to their base in
Harran to regroup. On April 25, al-Mansur managed to draw the Khwarezemids into a pitched battle near
Edessa
Edessa (; grc, Ἔδεσσα, Édessa) was an ancient city (''polis'') in Upper Mesopotamia, founded during the Hellenistic period by King Seleucus I Nicator (), founder of the Seleucid Empire. It later became capital of the Kingdom of Osroene ...
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. Most of the captured territory was taken by the Ayyubids of
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
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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
Al-Malik as-Salih Najm al-Din Ayyub (5 November 1205 – 22 November 1249), nickname: Abu al-Futuh ( ar, أبو الفتوح), also known as al-Malik al-Salih, was the Ayyubid Kurdish ruler of Egypt from 1240 to 1249.
Early life
In 1221, as-S ...
who attempted to hold
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
and
al-Jazira for his Ayyubid
Egypt. In al-Mansur's campaign, all of Ayyub's possessions, except for
Hisn Kayfa, 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
An-Nasir Dawud (1206–1261) was a Kurdish ruler, briefly (1227–1229) Ayyubid sultan of Damascus and later (1229–1248) Emir of Kerak.
An-Nasir Dawud was the son of Al-Mu'azzam, the Ayyubid Sultan of Damascus from 1218 to 1227. On his fathe ...
who held
Transjordan Transjordan may refer to:
* Transjordan (region), an area to the east of the Jordan River
* Oultrejordain, a Crusader lordship (1118–1187), also called Transjordan
* Emirate of Transjordan, British protectorate (1921–1946)
* Hashemite Kingdom of ...
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. 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
Gaza may refer to:
Places Palestine
* Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea
** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip
** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Lebanon
* Ghazzeh, a village in ...
,
an-Nasir Dawud
An-Nasir Dawud (1206–1261) was a Kurdish ruler, briefly (1227–1229) Ayyubid sultan of Damascus and later (1229–1248) Emir of Kerak.
An-Nasir Dawud was the son of Al-Mu'azzam, the Ayyubid Sultan of Damascus from 1218 to 1227. On his fathe ...
for
Jerusalem, while al-Mansur proceeded towards
Acre
The acre is a unit of land area used in the imperial
Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism.
Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to:
Places
United States
* Imperial, California
* Imperial, Missouri
* Imp ...
. 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 his army was overwhelmed and he narrowly escaped with a few followers.
The Khwarezemids, with the aid of Jamiul of
Salkhad besieged Damascus in March 1246 and were joined by as-Salih Arif Ismail who now held
Baalbek
Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...
. 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 of
Aleppo
)), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black".
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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
Turkmen, Türkmen, Turkoman, or Turkman may refer to:
Peoples Historical ethnonym
* Turkoman (ethnonym), ethnonym used for the Oghuz Turks during the Middle Ages
Ethnic groups
* Turkmen in Anatolia and the Levant (Seljuk and Ottoman-Turkish desc ...
and
Bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu (; , singular ) are nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia. The Bedouin originated in the Syrian Desert and A ...
mercenaries towards Damascus. The Khwarezemids and their allies met al-Mansur near
Lake Homs where they were dealt a major defeat, ending Khwarezemid power in Syria forever. Afterward, al-Mansur moved on to
Baalbek
Baalbek (; ar, بَعْلَبَكّ, Baʿlabakk, Syriac-Aramaic: ܒܥܠܒܟ) is a city located east of the Litani River in Lebanon's Beqaa Valley, about northeast of Beirut. It is the capital of Baalbek-Hermel Governorate. In Greek and Roman ...
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
Ghouta ( ar, غُوطَةُ دِمَشْقَ / ALA-LC: ''Ḡūṭat Dimašq'') is a countryside and suburban area in southwestern Syria that surrounds the city of Damascus along its eastern and southern rim.
Name
Ghouta is the Arabic term (''gh ...
town of
Nayrab
Al-Nayrab ( ar, النيرب) is a town in Syria, to the south-east of the city of Aleppo in northern Syria. With the urban development, the village was gradually absorbed by the city of Aleppo thus becoming part of it as a district.
Al-Nayrab i ...
on June 28, 1246 and was succeeded by his son
al-Ashraf Musa __NOTOC__
Al-Ashraf, either from ( ar, الأشرف, 'the most noble') or (, 'the nobles'), may refer to:
People
* Al-Ashraf Al-Barsbay, Burji Mamluk sultan of Egypt (1422–1438)
* Al-Ashraf Qansuh al-Ghuri, Mamluk Sultan (1501–1516)
* Al-Ash ...
. 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
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mansur Ibrahim
1246 deaths
13th-century Kurdish people
13th-century Ayyubid rulers
Kurdish rulers
Year of birth unknown