om falling into the hands of the
invaders, and it burned continually for fifty days. El-Adid now sought
aid of Nur ed-Din, who, actuated by zeal against the Franks, and by
desire of conquest, once more despatched Shirkuh. In the meantime
negotiations had been opened with Amaury to raise the siege of Cairo on
payment of an enormous sum of money. But, before these conditions
had been fulfilled, the approach of the Syrian army induced Amaury
to retreat in haste. Shirkuh and Saladin entered the capital in
great state, and were received with honour by the caliph, and
with obsequiousness by Shawir, who was contriving a plot which was
fortunately discovered, and for which he paid with his life. Shirkuh
was then appointed vizier by El-Adid, but, dying very shortly, he was
succeeded in that dignity by his nephew Saladin (A.D. 1169).

Saladin inaugurated his reign with a series of brilliant successes.
Egypt once again took an important place among the nations, and by the
wars of Saladin it became the nucleus of a great empire. Military glory
was never the sole aim of Saladin and his successors. They continued
to extend to letters and the arts their willing patronage, and the
beneficial effects of this were felt upon the civilisation of the
country. Though ruler of Egypt, Saladin gained his greatest renown
by his campaigns against the Crusaders in Syria. The inability of Nur
ed-Din's son, El-Malik es-Salih Ismail, to govern the Syrian dominions
became an excuse for Saladin's occupation of Syria as guardian of the
young prince, and, once having assumed this function, he remained in
fact the master of Syria. He continued to consolidate his power in these
parts until the Crusaders, under Philip, Count of Flanders, laid siege
to Antioch. Saladin now went out to meet them with the Egyptian army,
and fought the fierce battle of Ascalon, which proved to be disastrous
to himself, his army being totally defeated and his life endangered.
After this, however, he was fortunate enough to gain certain minor
advantages, and continued to hold his own until a famine broke out in
Palestine which compelled him to come to terms with the Crusaders, and
two years later a truce was concluded with the King of Jerusalem, and
Saladin returned to Egypt.

In the year 576 a.h., he again entered Syria and made war on
Kilidj-Arslan, the Seljukide Sultan of Anatolia, and on Leon, King of
Armenia, both of whom he forced to come to terms. Soon after his return,