Asad al-Din Shīrkūh

Arabian military officer

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July 13, 2026

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Asad al-Din Shirkuh was a prominent Kurdish military officer in the 12th century who served under the Seljuq rulers in Iraq and Syria. He was the uncle of Saladin, the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty.12

Shirkuh led three military expeditions into Egypt, aiming to prevent it from falling to the Crusaders. During these campaigns, he was involved in a complex struggle with the Egyptian vizier Shawar and Amalric I, the king of Jerusalem. After Shirkuh's death, his nephew Saladin rose to prominence, eventually becoming the Sultan of Egypt, Syria, Yemen, and Palestine.2

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Saladin
Early life and military career
…the staff of his uncle Asad al-Dīn Shīrkūh, an important military commander under the emir Nūr al-Dīn, who was the son and successor of Zangī. During three military expeditions led by Shīrkūh into Egypt to prevent its falling to the Latin Christian (Frankish) rulers of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem,…
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…the staff of his uncle Asad al-Dīn Shīrkūh, an important military commander under the emir Nūr al-Dīn, who was the son and successor of Zangī. During three military expeditions led by Shīrkūh into Egypt to prevent its falling to the Latin Christian (Frankish) rulers of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem,…
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Crusades
The Crusader states to 1187
…Nūr al-Dīn sent his lieutenant Shīrkūh to Egypt accompanied by his own nephew, Saladin, King Amalric decided to intervene. After some maneuvering, the armies of both Amalric and Shīrkūh withdrew, as they were to do again three years later.
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…Nūr al-Dīn sent his lieutenant Shīrkūh to Egypt accompanied by his own nephew, Saladin, King Amalric decided to intervene. After some maneuvering, the armies of both Amalric and Shīrkūh withdrew, as they were to do again three years later.
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