Egypt’s Ayyubid era: 81 years of successful military state

CAIRO – 18 January 2022: The Ayyubid state was established by Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi, who defeated the Fatimids and expelled them from Egypt in 567 AH / 1174 AD. Egypt returned under the rule of the Abbasid Caliphate again. Salah al-Din worked to spread the Sunni sect instead of the Shiite sect that was prevalent in the Fatimid era.

The Ayyubid state was a military state, as it appeared during the period of the Crusades in Egypt and the Levant. 

In light of this political context, Salah al-Din decided to build a citadel in Cairo, whose construction began in 527 AH / 1176 AD. However, its completion did not take place during his lifetime, but later in 1208 AD,according to the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities.

On March 4, 1193, the famous Islamic leader Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi died at the age of 56 with a fever described by historians as strange. 

The Ayyubid state, which included the Levant, Palestine and Egypt, was divided after the death of Salah al-Din as a result of competition between members of his family. 

After Salah al-Din’s death, his son Imad Al-Din Abi Al-Fath Othman, who was dubbed Al-Aziz, took over the rule of Egypt.The Ayyubid era in Egypt lasted for 81 years and ended at the hands of the Mamluks.