Abu'l-Ashbāl al-Ḍirghām ibn ʿĀmir ibn Sawwār al-Lukhamī () () was an Arab military commander in the service of the
Fatimid Caliphate
The Fatimid Caliphate (; ), also known as the Fatimid Empire, was a caliphate extant from the tenth to the twelfth centuries CE under the rule of the Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa and West Asia, i ...
. An excellent warrior and model cavalier, he rose to higher command and scored some successes against the
Kingdom of Jerusalem
The Kingdom of Jerusalem, also known as the Crusader Kingdom, was one of the Crusader states established in the Levant immediately after the First Crusade. It lasted for almost two hundred years, from the accession of Godfrey of Bouillon in 1 ...
as well as against internal rebellions. Despite his close personal ties to the
vizier
A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
s
Tala'i ibn Ruzzik and his son
Ruzzik ibn Tala'i, he joined
Shawar when the latter rebelled against Ruzzik and seized the vizierate. Nine months later, Dirgham betrayed Shawar as well and expelled him from the capital, becoming vizier himself on 31 August 1163. Amidst yet another Crusader invasion in 1164, Dirgham clashed with Shawar, who had gained the support of Syrian troops led by
Shirkuh. Deserted by most of his troops, Dirgham was killed sometime in May–August 1164 by Shawar's army.
Life
Dirgham was of
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
origin, and his ''
nisbas'' of ''al-Lakhmī'' and ''al-Mundhirī'' possibly indicate descent from the pre-Islamic
Lakhmid kings of
al-Hira
Al-Hira ( Middle Persian: ''Hērt'' ) was an ancient Lakhmid Arabic city in Mesopotamia located south of what is now Kufa in south-central Iraq.
The Sasanian government established the Lakhmid state (Al-Hirah) on the edge of the Arabian Desert ...
. He was born in
Yemen
Yemen, officially the Republic of Yemen, is a country in West Asia. Located in South Arabia, southern Arabia, it borders Saudi Arabia to Saudi Arabia–Yemen border, the north, Oman to Oman–Yemen border, the northeast, the south-eastern part ...
and was a
Sunni
Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...
. The accounts of the historians
Umara al-Yamani and
al-Maqrizi emphasize his equestrian and martial skills, being an expert in handling both the spear and the bow; as well as his penmanship and ability as a poet and as a literary critic. Dirgham had three brothers, Humam (later awarded the ''
laqab
Arabic names have historically been based on a long naming system. Many people from Arabic-speaking and also non-Arab Muslim countries have not had given name, given, middle name, middle, and family names but rather a chain of names. This system ...
'' of ''Nāṣir al-Dīn'', "Defender of the Faith"), Mulham (''Nāṣir al-Muslimīn'', "Defender of the Muslims"), and Husam (''Fakhr al-Dīn'', "Glory of the Faith").
Early career
He is first mentioned in the sources in 1153, as part of an expedition to relieve the city of
Ascalon, which was
being besieged by King
Baldwin III of Jerusalem. The expedition was led by Abbas, the stepson of the
vizier
A vizier (; ; ) is a high-ranking political advisor or Minister (government), minister in the Near East. The Abbasids, Abbasid caliphs gave the title ''wazir'' to a minister formerly called ''katib'' (secretary), who was at first merely a help ...
al-Adil ibn al-Sallar; Abbas abandoned the campaign and returned to
Cairo
Cairo ( ; , ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Egypt and the Cairo Governorate, being home to more than 10 million people. It is also part of the List of urban agglomerations in Africa, largest urban agglomeration in Africa, L ...
where he killed his stepfather and took over the vizierate until himself overthrown by
Tala'i ibn Ruzzik in 1154. Abandoned to its fate, Ascalon, the last Fatimid stronghold in the Levant, fell on 22 August 1153.
Dirgham appears to have been a close ally of Tala'i ibn Ruzzik, who made him commander of a new military corps, the ''Barqiyya''. He even instructed the vizier's son,
Ruzzik, in knightly activities (''
furūsiyya''), and quickly rose in the court hierarchy to the position of ''nāʾib al-bāb'' (deputy to the powerful post of grand chamberlain, ''
ṣāḥib al-bāb'', second in rank only to the vizier). As Tala'i resumed a more aggressive stance against the Crusaders, Dirgham led expeditions against them in 1157 and 1158, and scored a victory against them on 9 March 1158 at
Tell el-Ajjul. In 1159, along with Ruzzik, he suppressed the rebellion of Bahram at
Atfih in
Upper Egypt
Upper Egypt ( ', shortened to , , locally: ) is the southern portion of Egypt and is composed of the Nile River valley south of the delta and the 30th parallel North. It thus consists of the entire Nile River valley from Cairo south to Lake N ...
.
In 1161, Tala'i was assassinated and was succeeded by his son Ruzzik. In September 1162, King
Amalric of Jerusalem invaded Egypt to claim the
tribute
A tribute (; from Latin ''tributum'', "contribution") is wealth, often in kind, that a party gives to another as a sign of submission, allegiance or respect. Various ancient states exacted tribute from the rulers of lands which the state con ...
that had been promised by Ruzzik's father. Dirgham led the forces mustered to oppose the invasion, but was defeated and retreated to
Bilbays. He was able to block Amalric's advance by breaching the dikes of the Nile, which was then
in flood. After Amalric withdrew to Palestine, Dirgham helped suppress another revolt in the Gharbiyya (the western
Nile Delta
The Nile Delta (, or simply , ) is the River delta, delta formed in Lower Egypt where the Nile River spreads out and drains into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of the world's larger deltas—from Alexandria in the west to Port Said in the eas ...
) province. Soon after, however,
Shawar, the governor of
Qus, also rose in revolt, raised an army of
Bedouin
The Bedouin, Beduin, or Bedu ( ; , singular ) are pastorally nomadic Arab tribes who have historically inhabited the desert regions in the Arabian Peninsula, North Africa, the Levant, and Mesopotamia (Iraq). The Bedouin originated in the Sy ...
from the western oases, and overthrew and killed Ruzzik and became vizier himself in January 1163. Despite his own ties to Ruzzik, like many other commanders Dirgham chose to join Shawar once the latter's victory became inevitable, and was rewarded with the second most powerful position in the state, that of ''ṣāḥib al-bāb''.
During his career, Dirgham received the honorific ''laqabs'' of ''Fāris al-Muslimīn'' ("Knight of the Muslims") and ''Shams al-Khilāfa'' ("Sun of the Caliphate").
Vizierate

Shawar was borne to success by his fellow Bedouin, and as a reward he not only gave them Ruzzik's wealth, but also allowed them free rein to raid the eastern Nile Delta, where the estates of the military tax-farmers (''muqṭāʿūn''), which were supporting a large part of the Fatimid army, were located. As a result, a large part of the military turned against Shawar, and Dirgham, who had the backing of the ''Barqiyya'' corps as their commander, emerged as its leader. Shawar reportedly suspected something and made Dirgham swear repeated oaths of obedience and loyalty, but in August 1163, clashes broke out. Two of Shawar's sons may have been killed and the oldest, Tayy, was captured (and later executed), forcing Shawar to flee Cairo. On 31 August 1163, Dirgham was appointed vizier with the title of ''al-Malik al-Manṣūr'' ("the Victorious King"). According to al-Maqrizi, as vizier Dirgham was greatly influenced by his brothers Humam (who also took Dirgham's former title of ''Fāris al-Muslimīn'') and Husam.
In the meantime, Shawar fled to
Damascus
Damascus ( , ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in the Levant region by population, largest city of Syria. It is the oldest capital in the world and, according to some, the fourth Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. Kno ...
, where he sought the aid of the Sunni ruler of
Syria
Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...
,
Nur al-Din. Dirgham attempted to thwart his rival's plans by opening negotiations with Nur al-Din for an alliance against the Crusaders, but the Syrian ruler's reply was non-committal, and on his way to Egypt, Dirgham's envoy was arrested by the Crusaders, possibly on the instigation of Nur al-Din himself. Dirgham also faced domestic challenges, as many of the ''Barqiyya'' commanders envied him and themselves made contact with Shawar. Dirgham set an ambush and killed seventy of them, including many of their followers. While this secured his position for a time, it also deprived him of able officers, thus weakening the Fatimid army. His execution by
crucifixion
Crucifixion is a method of capital punishment in which the condemned is tied or nailed to a large wooden cross, beam or stake and left to hang until eventual death. It was used as a punishment by the Achaemenid Empire, Persians, Ancient Carthag ...
of the governor of
Alexandria
Alexandria ( ; ) is the List of cities and towns in Egypt#Largest cities, second largest city in Egypt and the List of coastal settlements of the Mediterranean Sea, largest city on the Mediterranean coast. It lies at the western edge of the Nile ...
also cost him whatever good will he initially had, so that he could only rely on his personal entourage.
In the winter of 1163/64, King Amalric invaded Egypt with the intention of occupying the country. Dirgham preferred to negotiate with Amalric, offering him a peace treaty guaranteed by the surrender of hostages, and the payment of an annual tribute. In the meantime, however, Shawar and Nur al-Din had allied themselves—Shawar reportedly offered to hand over one third of the annual land tax (''
kharāj'') revenue to Nur al-Din—and a Syrian army under the
Kurdish commander
Shirkuh (accompanied by his nephew,
Saladin
Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, h ...
) was sent to Egypt. While Nur al-Din manoeuvred to attract the Crusaders' attention away from the expeditionary force, Shirkuh and his men crossed the Kingdom of Jerusalem and entered Egypt. This intervention was a momentous event in the history of the Fatimid regime and Egypt: enfeebled by the constant civil wars, the country now became a prize in the contest between Damascus and Jerusalem, a process that would end with the abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate itself by Saladin in 1171.
Dirgham appealed to Amalric for help, but the King of Jerusalem was unable to intervene in time: in late April 1164, the Syrians surprised and defeated Dirgham's brother Mulham at Bilbays, opening the way to Cairo. On the news of the battle, a panic broke out in the capital of Egypt. Desperate for funds to pay his men, Dirgham confiscated the possessions of orphans, thereby provoking a public outcry against him. His troops began deserting him, including the entire ''Rayhaniyya'' corps. Left with only 500 horsemen, he appeared before the
caliphal palace, but the caliph turned him away and advised him to save his life. More and more of his troops defected, until he was left with thirty men. He then fled Cairo, accompanied by the curses of the populace, while Shirkuh's army was entering the capital. He was overtaken near
Fustat, however, dragged from his horse and killed (July/August 1154, other sources give the month as May/June), followed soon by his brothers. His head was severed and paraded in public, while his corpse was left unburied for several days, before being taken to a burial at
Birkat al-Fil.
Shawar, restored to the vizierate, quickly fell out with Shirkuh, and a complicated series of conflicts between Shawar, Shirkuh, and Amalric followed until 1169, when Shawar was executed and replaced as vizier by Shirkuh. When the latter died three months later, he was succeeded by his nephew, Saladin.
References
Sources
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{{Authority control
1164 deaths
12th-century Arab people
12th-century people from the Fatimid Caliphate
12th-century Arabic-language poets
Generals of the Fatimid Caliphate
Muslims of the Crusades
Viziers of the Fatimid Caliphate
Year of birth unknown
Yemeni Sunni Muslims
1160s in the Fatimid Caliphate