them on the
island of Roda (Rauda), whence they were called Bahri or Nile Mamelukes,
which became the name of the first dynasty that originated from them.
Much of his time was spent in campaigns in Syria, where the other
Ayyubites allied themselves against him with the Crusaders, whereas he
accepted the services of the Khwarizmians: eventually he succeeded in
recovering most of the Syrian cities. His name is commemorated by the
town of Salihia, which he built in the year 1246 as a resting-place for
his armies on their marches through the desert from Egypt to Palestine.
In 1249 he was recalled from the siege of Homs by the news of the
invasion of Egypt by Louis IX. (the Seventh Crusade), and in spite of
illness he hastened to Ushmum Tanna, in the neighbourhood of Damietta,
which he provisioned for a siege. Damietta was taken on the 6th of June
1249, owing to the desertion of his post by the commander Fakhr ud-din,
and the Banu Kinanah, to whom the defence of the place had been
entrusted: fifty-four of their chieftains were afterwards executed by
the sultan for this proceeding. On the 22nd of November the sultan died
of disease at Mansura, but his death was carefully concealed by the
amirs Lajin and Aktai, acting in concert with the Queen Shajar al-durr,
till the arrival from Syria of the heir to the throne, _Turanshah_, who
was proclaimed some four months later. At the battle of Fariskur, 6th of
April 1250, the invaders were utterly routed and the French king fell
into the hands of the Egyptian sultan. The Egyptian authorities now
resolved to raze Damietta, which, however, was rebuilt shortly after.
The sultan, who himself had had no share in the victory, advanced after
it from Mansura to Fariskur, where his conduct became menacing to the
amirs who had raised him to the throne, and to Shajar al-durr; she in
revenge organized an attack upon him which was successful, fire, water,
and steel contributing to his end.

(6) _Period of Bahri Mamelukes._--The dynasties that succeeded the
Ayyubites till the conquest of Egypt by the Ottomans bore the title
Dynasties of the Turks, but are more often called Mameluke dynasties,
because the sultans were drawn from the enfranchised slaves who
constituted the court, and officered the army. The family of the fourth
of these sovereigns, Ka'a'un (Qala'un), reigned for 110 years, but
otherwise no sultan was able to found a durable dynasty: after the death
of a sultan he was usually succeede