
As-Salih Ismail, Emir of Damascus (1170-1245) was Emir of Damascus from 1237 to 1245, succeeding al-Ashraf and preceding as-Salih Ayyub.
Biography[]
Al-Malik as-Salih Imad ad-Din Ismail bin Saif ad-Din Ahmad was born in Damascus in 1170, the son of al-Adil I and the nephew of Saladin. As a young prince, he was served by the Christian bodyguard Issa Alauwam. In 1237, he became the Ayyubid ruler of Damascus, and he was immediately forced to defend his city from the Egyptian sultan al-Kamil. Ismail burned the city's suburbs to deny the Egyptians shelter, only for al-Adil II to later succeed in capturing the city. In 1239, he allied with as-Salih Ayyub as he marched to seize Egypt from his brother al-Adil, only to betray him and recapture Damascus in September 1239. Ismail and Ayyub became fierce rivals, and Ismail allied with an-Nasir Dawud and the Crusaders to prevent Ayyub from reconquering their lands. In 1240, during the Barons' Crusade, Ismail agreed to cede all of his lands west of the Jordan to the Crusaders, including Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Gaza, and Nablus, in exchange for the Crusaders' help. Muslim imams would criticize Ismail for his cession of these prized lands, and Ismail died in 1245.