1221: al-Ṣafadī on the Display of Ayyubid Power in the Presence of the Crusaders of Damiette

Abstract

The Kitāb al-Wāfi bi-l-wafayāt is a bio-bibliographical encyclopaedia written by al-Ṣafadī, a man of letters in Mamlūk service. It contains entries on personalities relevant to the history of the Arabic-Islamic sphere. This article deals with the entry on the Ayyūbid sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil, in which the latter's victory over the Franks during the fifth crusade against Damiette plays a prominent role. This is particularly notable for the author’s reference to literary praises written by poets and other inhabitants from the Maghreb. As will be shown, an analysis of this account can do much to shed light on the development of ideas concerning the Ayyubids and Sultan al-Malik al-Kāmil with an eye to their portrayal as defenders of the Islamic sphere against the Crusaders.