Syria's communities and civilizations – history, sites and heritage
Ayyubids and Mamluks
الأيوبيون والمماليك
Civilizations and historical peopleshistorical
The Sunni Ayyubid dynasty founded by Saladin, of Kurdish origin, ruled most of Syria in the late 12th and early 13th centuries; the Mamluk sultanate followed from 1260 until the Ottoman victory at Marj Dabiq in 1516. Their citadels, madrasas and mausoleums shape the old cities of Damascus and Aleppo. These are historical dynasties.
Saladin, from a family of Kurdish soldiers in Seljuq service, rallied Muslims against the Crusades and was buried in Damascus in 1196; after his death his lands became a family federation. Al-Adil rebuilt the Citadel of Damascus (1203–1216), and UNESCO describes Aleppo as an outstanding Ayyubid 12th-century city.
Sources and details
The Mamluks halted the Mongols at Ain Jalut in 1260; Baibars (r. 1260–1277) took Crusader fortresses, annexed the Nizari castles in 1270–73 and rebuilt the Damascus citadel. Qalawun took Margat in 1285, the fall of Acre in 1291 extended Mamluk rule across Syria, and Arwad fell in 1302.
Timur invaded Syria and sacked Aleppo and Damascus around 1400, withdrawing in 1402. On 24 August 1516 the Ottomans defeated Sultan al-Ghuri at Marj Dabiq near Aleppo and Syria passed into Ottoman possession.
Sites connected with this community 12
- Ancient City of AleppoAleppo · Castles & fortresses
Aleppo's Ayyubid and Mamluk mosques and madrasas.
- Citadel of AleppoAleppo · Castles & fortresses
Citadel of Aleppo, Arab military architecture of the 12th–14th c.
- Mahmandar MosqueAleppo, Aleppo · Islamic heritage
Mahmandar mosque (1303), Mamluk period.
- Al-Tawba MosqueDamascus (al-Uqayba), Damascus · Islamic heritage
Al-Tawba mosque built 1231–1235 by an Ayyubid emir.
- Al-Zahiriyya Madrasa (Mausoleum of Baybars)Damascus (al-Amara, near the Umayyad Mosque), Damascus · Islamic heritage
Al-Zahiriyya madrasa, mausoleum of Baybars.
- Citadel of DamascusDamascus · Castles & fortresses
Citadel rebuilt by al-Adil and Baibars.
- Mausoleum of SaladinDamascus (beside the Umayyad Mosque), Damascus · Islamic heritage
Mausoleum of Saladin (1196).
- Masyaf Castle (Nizari Ismaili seat)Masyaf, Hama · Other religious sites
Masyaf, annexed with the Nizari castles by Baibars.
- Krak des ChevaliersHoms · Castles & fortresses
Krak des Chevaliers, with Mamluk additions of the late 13th century.
- Citadel of Salah Ed-DinLatakia · Castles & fortresses
Saone, with Ayyubid fortifications.
- Chastel BlancTartus · Castles & fortresses
Chastel Blanc, captured by Baibars in 1271.
- MargatTartus · Castles & fortresses
Margat, taken and garrisoned by Qalawun in 1285.
Sources (8)
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Crac des Chevaliers and Qal'at Salah El-Din
- UNESCO World Heritage Centre, Ancient City of Aleppo
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, Ayyubid dynasty
- Wikipedia, Nizari Ismaili state (secondary pointer)
- Wikipedia, Mamluk Sultanate (secondary pointer)
- Wikipedia, Margat (secondary pointer)
- Wikipedia, Chastel Blanc (secondary pointer)
- Wikipedia, Citadel of Damascus (secondary pointer)
These categories describe history, language and faith – not exclusive identities. Many Syrians belong to several, and some names refer to civilizations of the past.