:''Another
as-Salih Ismail was an
Ayyubid ruler in the 13th century.''
'As-Salih Ismail al-Malik' (
1163 –
1181) was the son of
Nur ad-Din, and was only eleven years old when his father died in 1174. As-Salih came under the protection of the
eunuch Gumushtugin and was taken to
Aleppo, while Nur ad-Din's officers competed for supremacy. In
Egypt,
Saladin recognized as-Salih as his lord, although he in fact was eager to unite Egypt and
Syria under his own personal rule. Saladin entered
Damascus in 1174 and declared himself to be the true regent for as-Salih, and in 1176 he defeated the
Zengids outside the city, married Nur ad-Din's widow, and was recognized as ruler of Syria. As-Salih died in 1181.
According to crusader legend, his mother was the sister of
Bertrand of Toulouse, who had been captured by Nur ad-Din in the aftermath of the
Second Crusade; a similar legend existed concerning the mother of
Zengi, as-Salih's grandfather.