Page "Ayyubid dynasty" Paragraph 30

When al-Aziz Uthman died in a hunting accident near Cairo, al-Afdal was again made sultan ( although al-Aziz Uthman's son al-Mansur was the nominal ruler of Egypt ), al-Adil having been absent in a campaign in the northeast.

He returned and managed to occupy the Citadel of Damascus, but then faced a strong assault from the forces grouped under al-Afdal and his brother az-Zahir.

These forces disintegrated under al-Afdal's leadership and in 1200, al-Adil returned to the offensive.

Upon Uthman's death, two clans within the empire opposed each other ; the mamluks whom Shirkuh and Saladin had enlisted — the Asadiyya and Salahiyya.

The latter backed al-Adil in his struggles against al-Afdal.

With their support, al-Adil conquered Cairo in 1200, and forced al-Afdal to accept internal banishment.

He proclaimed himself Sultan of Egypt and Syria afterward and entrusted the governance of Damascus to al-Mu ' azzam and al-Jazira to his other son al-Kamil.

Around 1200, a sharif (" tribal head ") Qatada ibn Idris seized power in Mecca and was recognized as the emir of the city by al-Adil.