Biography of Ismet Uddin Hatun
Name Birth Pedigree :
Ismatuddin Khatun or Asimat was the daughter of Mu’inuddin Unur, ruler of Damascus. His brother name was “Karategin” and he had a sister name “Ibuke”. She was the wife of Nuruddin Zengi and Salahuddin, two of the greatest Muslim generals of the twelfth century. He was capable and courageous enough to lead. Ismatuddin means “purity of religion”; And khatun is an honorific meaning “woman” or “noble lady”.
Damascus Handover:
Ismet Khatun’s father became ruler of Damascus in 1138 and ruled the city on behalf of the young emirs of the Buri dynasty. At this time Aleppo and Mosul, the main rivals north of Damascus, were united under the rule of the Zengi dynasty. Damascus maintained an uneasy alliance with the Crusader Empire of Jerusalem. But in 1147 Mu’inuddin negotiated an alliance with Gengi Amir Nuruddin of Aleppo. This treaty concluded Nuruddin’s engagement with Ismatuddin. The following year the forces of the Second Crusade conducted an unsuccessful siege of Damascus. Nuruddin came forward to help Damascus. As a result, Mu’inuddin handed over the power of the city to Nuruddin.
Ismet Hatun’s marriage history:
Ismatuddin Khatun’s father died in 1149. Nur al-Din gained absolute power in Damascus in 1154. In the same year Ismat’s marriage with Nuruddin was consummated. However, most sources claim that Nuruddin and Ismatuddin were never in contact, even though they were married. Because neither of them had actually met each other and the marriage was a part of the deal with Muinuddin.
Ibn Athir and Asad Asadir also noted that Ismatuddin’s marriage to Salahuddin was publicly announced as his first marriage, and that his marriage to Nuruddin was not public before Nuruddin’s death. Salahuddin married Ismatuddin to gain control over the region. Nuruddin’s children Shamsunnisa, and Salahuddin’s wife Aqsaunnisa and Salih’s mother Raji Khatun argue that Ismatuddin was not married to Nuruddin.
Siege of Raja Amarlik:
When Nuruddin died in 1174, King Amalric I of Jerusalem took advantage of the situation and besieged the city of Banias. Ismat offered him an incentive to lift the blockade. But Amalrik continued the siege for two weeks, hoping for a bigger offer.
Eventually twenty Christians lifted the siege by accepting the release of prisoners and money. William of Tire described Ismat as “more courageous than most women”. General Saladin had already gained control of Egypt and claimed Damascus as his heir. She legitimized this claim by marrying Ismatuddin in 1176. She was apparently not Saladin’s only wife.
In Damascus he established numerous religious buildings including a madrasa and shrine for his father. She had no children with Nuruddin as they never came into contact, but history does not record whether she had any children with Saladin. Many claim Salahuddin’s daughter Munisa Khatun to be Ismat’s daughter.
Obituary:
In 1186, Ismet Khatun died of a plague epidemic in Damascus. Other sources state that he was then suffering from tuberculosis which proved fatal to him. This is why he died. However, when he died, Salahuddin wrote to him every day. Saladin was also recovering from a long illness at the time, so news of Ismat’s death was kept secret for three months. He was buried in Jama’al Jadid in Damascus.
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