Ibn Masal
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Najm al-Din Abu'l-Fath Salim/Sulayman ibn Muhammad al-Lukki al-Maghribi (), better known as Ibn Masal (), was a military commander and official 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 ...
, who served briefly as the ''de facto''
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 ...
of the Caliphate from 1144/45 until he was overthrown and killed by al-Adil ibn al-Sallar and his supporters in the winter of 1149/50.


Life

His '' nisbah'' (al-Maghribī) and the name Maṣāl suggest a
Berber Berber or Berbers may refer to: Ethnic group * Berbers, an ethnic group native to Northern Africa * Berber languages, a family of Afro-Asiatic languages Places * Berber, Sudan, a town on the Nile People with the surname * Ady Berber (1913–196 ...
origin. He was born in the town of Lukk in the
Cyrenaica Cyrenaica ( ) or Kyrenaika (, , after the city of Cyrene), is the eastern region of Libya. Cyrenaica includes all of the eastern part of Libya between the 16th and 25th meridians east, including the Kufra District. The coastal region, als ...
. From his father, he learned
falconry Falconry is the hunting of wild animals in their natural state and habitat by means of a trained bird of prey. Small animals are hunted; squirrels and rabbits often fall prey to these birds. Two traditional terms are used to describe a person ...
and
veterinary science Veterinary medicine is the branch of medicine that deals with the prevention, management, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, disorder, and injury in non-human animals. The scope of veterinary medicine is wide, covering all animal species, both ...
, which enabled him to assume a military post in the
Fatimid 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 Fatimid dynasty, Fatimids, an Isma'ili Shi'a dynasty. Spanning a large area of North Africa ...
capital
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 ...
. Details of his military career are not known, but by 1144/45 he had risen to the point where he was entrusted with the leadership of the government by Caliph
al-Hafiz Abūʾl-Maymūn ʿAbd al-Majīd ibn Muḥammad ibn al-Mustanṣir, better known by his regnal name as al-Ḥāfiẓ li-Dīn Allāh (), was the eleventh Fatimid caliph, ruling over Egypt from 1132 to his death in 1149, and the 21st imam of Hafi ...
. He was not given the title of
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 ...
, however, which had been vacant since the ouster of Ridwan ibn Walakhshi in 1139, but instead was titled "supervisor of affairs" (''nāẓir fi'l-umūr'') and "supervisor of the public interests" (''nāẓir fi'l-maṣāliḥ''). When al-Hafiz died in October 1149, his 16-year-old son
al-Zafir Abū Manṣūr Ismāʿīl ibn al-Ḥāfiẓ (, February 1133 – April 1154), better known by his regnal name al-Ẓāfir bi-Aʿdāʾ Allāh (, ) or al-Ẓāfir bi-Amr Allāh (, ), was the twelfth Fatimid caliph, reigning in Egypt from 1149 to ...
succeeded him. Al-Zafir, who was more interested in the pleasures of the court than exercising governance, appointed Ibn Masal, despite the latter's advanced age, as his vizier. Ibn Masal received the customary titles of the Fatimid viziers, ''al-Sayyid al-ʿAjal'' ("most noble master"), ''Amīr al-Juyūsh'' ("commander of the armies"), and ''al-Mufaḍḍal'' ("the preferred one") or ''al-Afḍal'' ("most superior one"). He was quickly successful in calming the quarrels between the Turkish cavalry (''Rayḥānī'') and the black military slaves by distributing money and promising to take care of their future welfare. He was soon after confronted with the rebellion 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 ...
, Ibn al-Sallar, who had entertained hopes of becoming vizier himself. Following the appointment of Ibn Masal, together with his stepson
Abbas Abbas may refer to: People * Abbas (name), list of people with the name, including: **Abbas ibn Ali (645–680), popularly known as ''Hazrat-e-Abbas'', the son of Ali ibn Abi Talib (the first imam in Shia Islam) **Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (567 ...
, Ibn al-Sallar marched on Cairo to seize the vizierate. When al-Zafir learned of Ibn Sallar's intentions, he called upon assistance from the grandees of the realm in support of Ibn Masal, but they proved unwilling to. In the end, the Caliph provided Ibn Masal with funds to raise an army for action against Ibn al-Sallar. Ibn Masal assembled a force of Lawata Berbers, of blacks, 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 ...
Arabs and of native Egyptians, but despite a first success in the field, he was soon forced to leave Cairo in December 1149 for Upper Egypt, to recruit more men, while Ibn al-Sallar took over the city. Ibn al-Sallar sent his stepson Abbas with an army against Ibn Masal and his ally, Badr ibn Rafi, who had tried unsuccessfully to rally resistance among the Arab tribes of the
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 ...
. The two armies met in battle at Dalas in the province of al-Bahnasa on 19 February 1150, in which Ibn Masal was defeated and killed. Abbas brought his severed head back to Cairo as a token of victory. His vizierate had lasted only about 50 days. This was the last time a Fatimid caliph would exercise that right, as with Ibn al-Sallar's coup the vizierate became the object of fierce contest between rival strongmen, and the last Fatimid caliphs were reduced to mere figureheads. A son of Ibn Masal is reported to have supported
Shirkuh Asad ad-Dīn Shīrkūh bin Shādhī (; ), (died 23 March 1169) was a Kurdish Mercenary commander in service of the Zengid dynasty, then the Fatimid Caliphate and uncle of Saladin. His military and diplomatic efforts in Egypt were a key factor ...
from
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 ...
in 1166/67, before fleeing to Syria. He was later involved in, and is said to have betrayed a
Pro-Fatimid conspiracy against Saladin In 1173–1174, a conspiracy took place in Cairo in favour of restoring the Isma'ili Shi'a Fatimid Caliphate, which had been abolished in 1171 by Saladin, the first Ayyubid ruler of Egypt. The conspiracy, which is known only from sources favourab ...
in 1174.


References


Sources

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Ibn Masal 1150 deaths 12th-century Berber people 12th-century people from the Fatimid Caliphate Viziers of the Fatimid Caliphate People from Cyrenaica People killed in action