The Frankish raid on the Red Sea and the Hijaz coast at 'Aydhab

غارة الفرنج على بحر عيذاب وساحل الحجاز

c. 1182 CE · 578 AH

In 578 Prince Arnat, lord of Karak, had a fleet built in sections at Karak and carried to the sea of Ayla; it was assembled with great speed and loaded with fighters. They sailed in two groups. One laid siege to the fort of Ayla, preventing its people from reaching the water, and severe hardship befell them. The other sailed toward 'Aydhab, ravaged the coasts, and seized the Muslim ships it found with the merchants aboard, falling on people unawares, since they had never known a Frank on that sea, neither merchant nor warrior. They meant to enter the Hijaz, Mecca and Medina, seize the pilgrims and bar them from the Sacred House, and then enter Yemen. Al-Malik al-'Adil Abu Bakr ibn Ayyub, his brother Salah al-Din's deputy in Egypt, equipped a fleet with a large force, whose commander was Husam al-Din Lu'lu' the chamberlain, in charge of the fleet. He swooped on the people of Ayla like an eagle, killed some and captured the rest. He then followed the trail of those bound for 'Aydhab until he reached Rabigh and caught them on the Jawza coast. When they saw their doom, they went ashore and took refuge in the ravines. Lu'lu' came down upon them and fought them, and took Arab horsemen; his cavalry and infantry fought them, won, killed most of them and captured the rest. Some were sent to Mina and slaughtered there as a punishment for anyone who sought to frighten the Sacred Precinct of God. He returned with the remainder to Egypt, where they were all put to death ¹.

Overview

In 578 AH Arnat, lord of Karak (Reynald of Châtillon), built a fleet; its parts were carried to the Red Sea of Aila, assembled and loaded with fighting men. His forces set out in two divisions. ¹

The raid

One division besieged the fortress of Aila and prevented its people from reaching the water. The second made for Aydhab, plundered the coasts, and seized the Muslim ships and their merchants. People had not known a Frank on this sea before. Ibn al-Athir says they intended to enter the Hijaz, Mecca and Medina, and then Yemen. ¹

The response

Al-Malik al-Adil, the deputy of his brother Salah al-Din in Egypt, equipped a fleet under Husam al-Din Lu'lu. He attacked the people of Aila, killed some of them and captured the rest. Then he pursued the other division until he overtook it on the shore of al-Jawza' near Rabigh, fought them in the ravines, killed most of them and took the rest captive. Some of them were sent to Mina and slaughtered there, and he returned with the rest to Egypt, where they were killed. ¹

Note

The report comes from Ibn al-Athir alone, and needs an additional source.

Battle of Hattin

On Saturday, five days before the end of Rabi' al-Akhir in 583 AH, Saladin and the Muslims engaged the Franks, who were tormented by thirst and had lost heart. The Muslim vanguard shot arrows like locusts spreading across the ground and killed many of the Franks' horses. The Franks were heading for Tiberias to reach water, but Saladin blocked their path, drew up his army against them, and rode among the Muslims urging them on. One of his young Mamluks charged fiercely and fought until he was killed; then the Muslims launched a violent charge that broke the Franks. Some volunteers set fire to the dry grass, which was abundant; the fire burned, and the wind carried its heat and smoke toward the Franks, so that thirst, the heat of the day, the fire and the fighting came upon them together. The Muslims surrounded them like a circle around its diameter, and those who remained climbed a hill near Hattin, where they could pitch no tent except their king's. The Muslims took their great cross, which the Franks call the Cross of the Crucifixion and which they believe contains a piece of the wood on which Christ was crucified. Al-Malik al-Afdal, Saladin's son, recounts that he stood beside his father at the first clash: when the Franks charged repeatedly until they drove the Muslims back toward the tent, his father grew downcast, gripped his beard and cried, 'The Devil lied!'; al-Afdal, joyful, cried, 'We have defeated them!' His father turned to him and said, 'Be quiet; we will not defeat them until that tent falls.' When the tent fell, the sultan dismounted, prostrated in thanks and wept for joy. The king and his brother were captured, along with Prince Arnat, lord of Karak, the lord of Jubayl, the Grand Master of the Templars and a group of Hospitallers. Whoever looked at the dead would not think any prisoners had been taken, and whoever looked at the captives would not think anyone had been killed. Saladin gave the king iced water, and the king gave what was left of it to Arnat. Saladin said, 'He did not drink the water with my permission, so he will not obtain what he wishes'; he rebuked him for his wrongs, rose, and struck his neck, saying that he had twice vowed to kill him if he ever prevailed over him: once when Arnat meant to march on Mecca and Medina, and once when he seized the caravan treacherously. He ordered the Templar and Hospitaller prisoners gathered; two hundred were brought before him and their necks were struck, because they were fiercer than all the other Franks. Ibn al-Athir says that about a year later he passed the site of the battle and saw the ground full of their bones.

The Frankish raid on the Red Sea and the Hijaz coast at 'Aydhab

At a glance

In time

Overview

The raid

The response

Note

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Time

Battle of Hattin