Al-Aziz Uthman
Encyclopedia
Al-Malik Al-Aziz Osman bin Salahadin Yusuf (1171 – 29 November 1198) was the second Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt
. He was the second son of Saladin
.
Before his death, Saladin had divided his dominions amongst his kin: Al-Afdal received Palestine
and Syria
, Al-Aziz was made ruler of Egypt, Al-Zahir received Aleppo, Al-Adil
received Karak
and Shawbak
, and Turan Shah retained Yemen
. However, conflict soon broke out, and Al-Adil became the undisputed ruler of Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Arabia.
Al-Aziz Uthman succeeded his father and ruled between 1193 and 1198 AD.
Despite Al-Aziz's having specifically inherited suzerainty over the whole Ayyubid empire, soon he had to face the revolt of the Zengid emirs of Mosul
and Sanjar and of the Artuqids in southern Iraq. When Al-Afdal expelled all the ministers left by his father to support him, they came to Egypt, asking al-Aziz to reconquer Syria. In [? year] al-Aziz besieged Damascus
; Al-Afdal asked help to Saladin's brother, Al-Adil, who met al-Aziz and convinced him to a reconciliation. The following year al-Aziz attacked again Syria, but Al-Afdal was able to have some of the emirs of his army to desert. Later al-Adil allied with al-Aziz against al-Afdal, who was besieged and captured in Damascus on 3 July 1196. Al-Afdal was exiled at Sarkhad, while al-Aziz was proclaimed supreme overlord of the Ayyubid empire; however, most of the effective power was in the hands of Al-Adil, who had installed himself in Damascus.
During his reign, he tried to demolish the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, but had to give up because the task was too big. However, he did succeed in damaging Menkaure's Pyramid. al-Malik al-'Aziz Uthman also played an important role in the history of the building enterprises and construction at Banias
and Subaybah.
He died in a hunting accident in late 1198. He was interred in the tomb of his elder brother al-Mu'azzam.
Sultan of Egypt
Sultan of Egypt was the status held by the rulers of Egypt after the establishment of the Ayyubid Dynasty of Saladin in 1174 until the Ottoman conquest of Egypt in 1517. Though the extent of the Egyptian Sultanate ebbed and flowed, it generally included Sham and Hejaz, with the consequence that the...
. He was the second son of Saladin
Saladin
Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb , better known in the Western world as Saladin, was an Arabized Kurdish Muslim, who became the first Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He led Muslim and Arab opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant...
.
Before his death, Saladin had divided his dominions amongst his kin: Al-Afdal received Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
and Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, Al-Aziz was made ruler of Egypt, Al-Zahir received Aleppo, Al-Adil
Al-Adil I
Al-Adil I was an Ayyubid-Egyptian general and ruler of Kurdish descent. From his honorific "Sayf al-Din" he was sometimes known to the Frankish crusaders as "Saphadin".- Life :...
received Karak
Kerak
Kerak Castle is a large crusader castle located in Kerak in Jordan. It is one of the largest crusader castles in the Levant.Construction of the castle began in the 1140s, under Pagan, the butler of Fulk of Jerusalem. The Crusaders called it Crac des Moabites or "Karak in Moab", as it is frequently...
and Shawbak
Shoubak
Shoubak is a municipality that lies at the north western edge of the Ma'an Governorate, bordered with Tafilah Governorate and Aqaba Governorate. It has a population of 12500...
, and Turan Shah retained Yemen
Yemen
The Republic of Yemen , commonly known as Yemen , is a country located in the Middle East, occupying the southwestern to southern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the north, the Red Sea to the west, and Oman to the east....
. However, conflict soon broke out, and Al-Adil became the undisputed ruler of Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Arabia.
Al-Aziz Uthman succeeded his father and ruled between 1193 and 1198 AD.
Despite Al-Aziz's having specifically inherited suzerainty over the whole Ayyubid empire, soon he had to face the revolt of the Zengid emirs of Mosul
Mosul
Mosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
and Sanjar and of the Artuqids in southern Iraq. When Al-Afdal expelled all the ministers left by his father to support him, they came to Egypt, asking al-Aziz to reconquer Syria. In [? year] al-Aziz besieged Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
; Al-Afdal asked help to Saladin's brother, Al-Adil, who met al-Aziz and convinced him to a reconciliation. The following year al-Aziz attacked again Syria, but Al-Afdal was able to have some of the emirs of his army to desert. Later al-Adil allied with al-Aziz against al-Afdal, who was besieged and captured in Damascus on 3 July 1196. Al-Afdal was exiled at Sarkhad, while al-Aziz was proclaimed supreme overlord of the Ayyubid empire; however, most of the effective power was in the hands of Al-Adil, who had installed himself in Damascus.
During his reign, he tried to demolish the Great Pyramids of Giza, Egypt, but had to give up because the task was too big. However, he did succeed in damaging Menkaure's Pyramid. al-Malik al-'Aziz Uthman also played an important role in the history of the building enterprises and construction at Banias
Banias
Banias is an archaeological site by the ancient city of Caesarea Philippi, located at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights...
and Subaybah.
He died in a hunting accident in late 1198. He was interred in the tomb of his elder brother al-Mu'azzam.
See also
- List of rulers of Egypt