Real History of Turan Shah
Biography of Turan Shah
Name, Birth and Lineage:
Turanshah – His full name is Shamsuddin Turanshah Ibn Ayyub Malikul Muazzam Shamsud Dawla Fakhruddin. He is noted for strengthening his younger brother Sultan Salahuddin’s position in Egypt and leading the Ayyubid conquests of both Nubia and Yemen. Turan Shah always cooperated and supported Salahuddin Ayyubi. Although there was opposition between them, it did not last long.
Arrival in Egypt:
Salahuddin was the vizier of the Fatimid Caliphs. In 1171, the Syrian sultan Nur al-Din Zengi allowed Turan Shah to join his brother in Egypt when tensions between Nur al-Din and Salah al-Din were growing. King Nuruddin, hoping to create a rift between the brothers, gave power to Turanshah under the supervision of Salahuddin.
Turanshah developed a close relationship with the poet courtier Umara Yamani, a powerful player in Fatimid politics, before coming to power as Saladin’s vizier in 1169. On September 11, 1171, the last Fatimid caliph al-Adid died, and the Ayyubid dynasty officially took control of Egypt. After the death of the Caliph, Turanshah was accused of murdering the Caliph. After the Caliph’s death, Turanshah settled in a camp in Cairo formerly occupied by the Fatimid emirs.
The military campaign of Turan Shah:
He participated in many movements, struggles, and wars in this heroic life. Two of the most important battles are discussed below.
1/ The Conquest of Nubia: The Nubians and Egyptians had long been engaged in multiple conflicts in the border region of the two countries in Upper Egypt. After the Fatimids were ousted from power, tensions rose as Nubian raids against Egyptian border towns became bolder, culminating in the siege of the important city of Aswan by ex-Black Fatimid troops in late 1172 to early 1173. A former Fatimid loyalist appealed to Salahuddin, the governor of Aswan, for help.
Saladin sent Turanshah with Kurdish troops to liberate Aswan, but the Nubian troops had already left the area. Nevertheless, Turanshah conquered the Nubian city of Ibrim and launched a series of campaigns against the Nubians. His attacks are believed to be highly successful. His attack prompted the Nubian king at Dongola to request a truce with Turanshah. Turanshah, eager for a quick victory, was unwilling to accept the offer. But his own emissary met the king of Nubia and reported that the whole country was poor and unconquerable. However, the Ayyubids were forced to take action against the Nubians later. Turanshah set his sights on more lucrative territories. He acquired great wealth in Egypt after he campaigned against Nubia and brought with him many Nubian and Christian slaves.
2/ Conquest of Yemen: After his success in Nubia, Turanshah sought to establish a personal possession. Bahauddin ibn Shaddad, an associate of Saladin, suggested that an apostate leader in Yemen claimed to be the “Messiah” and that this was the main reason that Saladin sent Turanshah to conquer the region.
Turanshah marched in 1174 and quickly conquered two cities by the end of May of that year: the city of “Jabid” and the port city of Aden (an important trade link with India, the Middle East, and North Africa). In 1175, he drove the Hamdani Sultan Ali ibn Hatim from the Yemeni capital Sa’na when the latter’s army was weakened by constant raids by the “Zaydi” tribes of Sa’dah.
Turanshah then devoted most of his time to securing the whole of southern Yemen and bringing the Ayyubids under control. Although “Wahid” managed to escape through the northern highlands of Yemen, Yasir, the head of the Shiite Banu Karam tribe that ruled Aden, was arrested and executed on Turanshah’s orders. The same fate befell the “Mahdi”-claimed rulers of Jabid. Turanshah’s victory was significant for Yemen, which was previously divided into three kingdoms (Sana’a, Jabid, and Aden) and united by the Ayyubid occupation.
Transfer of Power:
Although Turanshah succeeded in acquiring his own territory in Yemen, he did so to increase his power in Cairo. Saladin rewarded him as his personal property in Yemen. But Turanshah was uncomfortable in Yemen and repeatedly asked his brother to transfer him. In 1176, he had the opportunity to migrate to Syria, where he ruled from Damascus. He also received his father’s old estate around Baalbek in 1178. He was transferred to rule Alexandria in 1179 and died shortly thereafter on 27 June 1180. His body was buried by his sister next to a madrasa he had built in Damascus.
He ruled several states and cities in turn. From these, he ruled Yemen from 1174 to 1176, Damascus from 1176 to 1179 and Baalbek from 1178 to 1179. Turan Shah finally died in Alexandria in 1180. More
