The Crusaders had captured Jerusalem by 1099 The Muslim territories were quite furious over this occupation but no ruler was ready to face the Crusaders. In this background, the two rulers prepared their armies and they also fought the Crusaders, but both were killed one after the other. Who killed them? No one knows it to date and their killing is a mystery in history. the question is how they were killed? Did they cause any loss to the Crusaders before they were killed? What was the story of Imaduddin and Nurud ad Zengi? I am Faisal Warraich and in the Dekho Suno Jano's mini-series and in the third episode of Deskho Suno Jano's mini-series The Crusades and Ayyubi you will see all this. Following the capture of Jerusalem, within the next ten years, from Turkey to Egypt four major Christian states had been established. They were called the Crusader States. These states also included many parts of present Turkey, Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. Of them, the first Crusaders state was called the County of Odessa. The second in its South was the Principality of Antioch or Antioch. The third state was the County of Tripoli and the fourth most important was the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Bait al-Maqdis was centre of this state. Soon after these Crusader states came into being the Islamic world also began to grow in the spirit to fight. The Muslims had the only way to defeat the Crusaders that is, pool their strength and fight as a unit. But as you know we have shown in the last episodes that the Muslim world at that time had chaos all over. The Islamic world did not have a consensus leader. The Turk Empire or Seljuk rule did exist
but dispersed and disintegrated. Small independent states had been established in most of Syria and Iraq. However, there was a city and its ruler whose person to some extent could unite Muslims. The city was Baghdad and its Abbasid Caliph al-Mustazahar Ballah, who was regarded as the spiritual leader of all Muslims Besides this, the most powerful royal family of the Seljuk also lived in Baghdad and the Abbasid Caliphs, in fact, were under its patronage So, the Muslims who wanted a united front against the Crusaders began to reach Baghdad so that a fatwa could be obtained from the Caliph for Jihad against the Crusaders. After the Crusaders had occupied Jerusalem Zain al-Din al-Haravi was the first Muslim leader who arrived in Baghdad He was a religious scholar from Damascus. It was the month of Ramadan when he reached Baghdad and Muslims were fasting and he needed to see the Caliph in any case Haravi hit upon a fantastic plan to access the Caliph He reached the Principal Mosque of the town where people were gathered for prayers. He took a seat in the corner and begin to dine in front of the praying Muslims This irked the worshipers who questioned why this man was eating in the mosque during Ramadan. The people got hold of Haravi
and took him to the Abbasid Caliph. The Caliph asked him in anger why were you eating in the mosque during Ramadan? al-Haravi answered I did all this only to meet you. Don't you know Jerusalem has been
captured by the Crusaders? Would you announce jihad against him? Would you free the Muslims of Syria and Palestine from the Crusaders' hold? Friends, the problem was the helplessness of the Abbasid caliphs. They were rulers only in name with no army and authority. The caliph gave no answer and Al-Haravi left the court without success. This first attempt to bring the Muslims
against the Crusaders failed. As Muslim leaders were showing this weakness, the Crusaders started to attack their territories freely. The Crusaders started pillaging Muslim lands, particularly Damascus and at its surroundings on a large scale. Another religious scholar reached
Baghdad with to mobilize the Muslims. This religious scholar was Abul Fazl Ibn Al Khashab. He was a native of the Syrian city of Aleppo, which was the target of the Crusaders. Shortly before the arrival of this religious leader, an army from the Crusader state of Antioch had attacked Aleppo. And had defeated the ruler of Aleppo,
Fakhrul Malik Rizwan, outside the city. After this defeat, the Crusaders laid a condition before Fakhrul Mulk to let a Cross be installed on the Principal Mosque of Aleppo if he needs to rule. Fakhrul Mulk accepted this condition to save his throne and installed the Cross. The Crusader army returned to Antioch
but the Muslims of the city were angry. As the Cross was installed, Muslims came out dejected and angry. Religious scholar Ibn Al Khashab was their leader. The Muslims under his command removed the Cross from the mosque. They did not stop there. Ibn al-Khashab understood that for fighting the Crusaders the entire Islamic world must stand united. So he left for Baghdad since this city was the spiritual centre
of Muslims at that time. And a call for jihad here could create an impact on the entire Islamic world. So, following al-Haravi, Ibn al-Khashab also arrived in this city and went straight to a mosque. A number of traders, clerics and common men of Aleppo were with him. It was Friday and the imam was giving a sermon. His group removed the Imam from the pulpit and in his place Ibn al-Khashab, made a fiery speech. Passionately addressing the Muslims he said, O Muslims, what for your worship and prayers
when the Farangi are desecrating Bait al-Maqdis? Where is the Abbasid Caliph? Where is our nation? No one is left today to help the oppressed Muslims? Some government officers were
also present in the mosque who made certain promises to calm down the crowd that army would be sent to fight the Crusaders etc. as the crowd was charged. Ibn al-Khashab left the mosque after he heard all that and when no result came out after a week, he went to another mosque again on Friday. It was called the Caliph's Mosque. Guards outside the mosque tried to check their way in. But Ibn Al-Khashab and his companions managed their way in by force. Here they allegedly broke the pulpit and created an uproar. They were challenging the Muslims that you are praying here while the Crusaders are crushing the Muslims. Come out for Jihad. When Abbasid caliph al-Mustazihar Ballah, received reports on this commotion he became deeply enraged. He wanted to punish Ibn al-Khashab but at this point the Seljuk Sultan "Muhammad I Tapar" intervened. He was the most powerful sultan of the Seljuks who also controlled Baghdad. The Abbasid caliph under his patronage, commanded respect for his Caliphate. Sultan Muhammad I refrained the Caliph from acting against Ibn al-Khashab. He had realised that the demand of the scholar of Aleppo was right. So he sent a message to the Turkish ruler of Mosul "Sharf al-Dawla Al-Mawdud" to take an army and drive the Crusaders out of the Arab territories. Soon after getting the message,
Sharaf Al-Mawdud started preparations. Here is the point from where about 200 years long series of wars started and the same wars also produced many historical heroes in both armies. My curious fellows, Al-Mawdud was
a seasoned commander. He was marching to the Crusader States with two targets in mind The first was to save Aleppo and Damascus closer to the Crusader states. The second was to liberate many Arab areas from the Crusaders' occupation. Keeping in mind these two targets, Al-Mawdud first moved towards Aleppo. He wanted to get the army of this city with him to act against the Crusaders. But Rizwan, the ruler of Aleppo, closed the City gates to Al-Mawdud Rizwan also flatly refused any help to Al-Mawdud. Rizwan imprisoned Ibn al-Khashab and his supporters who came from Baghdad so that they do not mobilize the people. So Al-Mawdud failed even at the gates of Aleppo. Their next destination from this point was Damascus where "Tukhtakin" also a Turk, was in power. Tukhtakin promised help to Al-Mawdud as he too faced threats of attack from the Crusaders. Here, the armies of Al-Mawdud and Tukhtakin got one and their strength increased. Then began a long military campaign culminating in the battle of "Al-Sinnabra". The Battle of Al-Sinnabra Friends, present-day Israel has a large lake called the Sea of Galilee or in Arabic, the Sea of Tiberias. On its southern bank, the city Al-Sinnabra is located. The Muslim and the Crusader armies on 28 June 1113, had an important battle at this place. Al-Muwdud and Tukhtakin were jointly commanding the Muslim army. Baldwin I, the Crusader King of Jerusalem, commanded the Crusaders. You have been told about Baldwin I in previous episodes that he was the brother of Godfrey of Bouillon. Both brothers had been in the Crusader army that captured Jerusalem. Rather, Godfrey and his brother were
their central commanders. Godfrey had died at the time of the Battle of Al-Sinnabra, but his brother Baldwin I was then the ruler of Jerusalem. He was regarded as a great commander in the Crusader world. So it happened that at Sinnabra the two armies were face to face and in between was flowing the Jordan River. Baldwin's army was on the western bank of the river while the Muslim army was on the eastern bank. The Crusader commander had no idea about the position of the Muslim army but the Muslims somehow had learned about the arrival of the Crusader army on the western bank of the river. After the Muslim commander Al-Mawdud knew about the position of the enemy he decided to attack the enemy immediately. He and his army crossed the river and made a surprise attack on the enemy and in no time killed around two thousand soldiers of the enemy. The Muslims also took hold of the Royal Standard of Baldwin I. Baldwin himself fled headlong and assumed a new position along with his army at a distance from Al-Sinnabra. Meanwhile, two Crusader armies from Antioch and Tripoli arrived to help them. Baldwin now had collected a large force, but he was so frustrated by the first defeat that he did not commit the folly of facing Muslims in the open field. This time around he gave a defensive position to his army On the other Al-Mawdud saw the enemy had adopted a better defensive position so attacking it will be foolishness Moreover against such a large Crusader army, they would not be able to advance towards Jerusalem, as the enemy might get an opportunity to surround them from behind So, Al-Mawdud attacked the surrounding areas of the Crusaders which were part of the Crusade State of Jerusalem. The Crusaders were watching the ruination of their land before their eyes but they could do nothing. After a campaign of about four weeks, Al-Mawdud and Tukhtakin came to Damascus with huge treasures and booty. Although it was not a decisive victory for the Muslims, yet it shattered the Crusaders' myth of invincibility in the Arab world. Particularly, Baldwin's image as a commander was badly damaged. Baldwin was also severely criticized by his allies for his flawed war strategy. On the other side, the morale of the Muslims became high by this first victory. They were hopeful that now the Muslim army would be further prepared to attack the Crusaders. But as soon as the victorious Muslims reached Damascus, a tragedy awaited them. On October 2, 1113, Al-Mawdud and Tukhtakin were leaving the mosque after performing Friday prayers. Some soldiers were also present around them. Suddenly a person came near them. It seemed he wanted to say something to Al-Mawdud. The soldiers let him go to the commander. The man reached near Al-Mawdud and
stabbed him twice with a dagger. Al-Mawdud was seriously injured. The soldiers standing nearby pounced on the assailant and subdued him by snatching the dagger. The injured Al-Mawdud took a few steps and collapsed. A doctor was called in who sewed his wounds in a bid to stop the bleeding. But a few hours after, Commander Al-Mawdud succumbed to the injuries. The killer was caught and sentenced to death. Who actually was behind his killing is unknown to date. However, some historians see the hand of Tukhtakin, the ruler of Damascus behind his murder. Tukhtakin feared that Al-Mawdud would capture Damascus. So he acquired the services of a mercenary and removed Al-Mawdud from the way. Then apprehending leak out of secret he also eliminated the killer in haste. The case may be any, yet the fact is the Islamic world
had lost an excellent commander. It goes that Baldwin was also shocked
by the killing of Al-Mawdud. The Crusader king wrote to Tukhtakin that a nation which fails to protect its leader in the place of worship deserves to be destroyed. His remarks were either sarcastic or he was truly grieved. Though Baldwin viewed it this way yet this death did not end his difficulties. Al-Mawdud had put the Crusaders into
a defensive position before his murder and his campaign also boosted the morale of the Muslims. Around six years after this murder, the Crusaders suffered another crushing defeat in 1119. The ruler of the Turkish region of "Mardin", Najm al-Din Alghazi near Aleppo, inflicted such a crushing defeat on the Crusaders that thousands of Crusaders were killed and hundreds were captured. For such a large number of casualties, this war is also called the Field of Blood. In this battle, Abul Fazl al-Khashab, the religious scholar of Aleppo, and his supporters also took part. It was a decisive victory that protected Aleppo from Crusader attacks for many years. The Muslim rulers had begun to resist attacks from the Crusaders and even routing them in wars. But the four Crusader states established on the Arabian coast were retaining their power. In order to get them back a powerful ruler was needed as these territories could not be retrieved through little efforts The Muslims found this powerful ruler in 1127. The name of this Turkish commander was Imad al-Din Zengi. My curious fellows, Imad al-Din Zengi was born in 1084 in Aleppo, Syria. Which means he was born 16 years before the Crusaders occupied Jerusalem, which took place in 1099. Imad al Din's father Qasim al-Dawlah was made governor of Aleppo by the Seljuks. A ruler of Damascus had got him killed Then Imad al-Din was only ten years old. At some point, he escaped from Aleppo
with his family and reached Mosul. Kerbogha ruled Mosul at that time and you know, he is the same person who had unsuccessfully tried to help the Muslims in Antioch. Kerbogha had imparted training to Imad al-Din in his early years. After him, the person who patronized Imad al-Din was Al-Mawdud. The same Al-Mawdud who defeated the Crusaders in the Battle of Al-Sinnabra. It goes Imad al-Din also participated in the military campaigns of Al-Mawdud. So Imad al-Din had war skills in his youth and was in the good books of the Seljuks. That is why he was appointed
the governor of Basra in his youth. Once Imad al-Din helped quell a revolt in Baghdad that got him close to the Seljuks. In the 1127 Christian Era he was made governor of a strategically
more important city Mosul. Mosul was important because Syrian and Turkish lands were close to it and
in case of attack from the Crusaders it also served as the first vital defence line of Baghdad. So friends, just next year after becoming
the governor of Mosul, he attacked the Syrian city of Aleppo and took control of Aleppo. Aleppo was not under the control of the Crusaders, but it was a weak Muslim city. that could any time go into the hands of the Crusaders so Imad al-Din took it under his control. He also tried to capture Damascus
but did not succeed. Although Imad al-Din failed in Damascus yet he had established his rule in Mosul, Aleppo
and surrounding areas. Now he was acting like a sovereign ruler to run
the system of areas in his control. Anyway friends, the capture of Aleppo by Sultan Imaduddin proved a turning point in the war between
the Muslims and the Crusaders. Because Aleppo was not far from the Crusader states,
especially Edessa and Antioch. After consolidating his power, Imad al-Din in 1144, turned his attention to the Crusader states. Edessa was his first target But like a seasoned commander, he desired that before attacking the enemy his power should be weakened. He gave the impression to the ruler of
Edessa, "Joscelin II" that he did not want to capture the Central city of Edessa but the Kurdish city of Turkey, "Diyarbakir". The ruler of Diyarbakir had a defence agreement
with the state of Edessa. So the ruler of Edessa, Joscelin II moved to Diyarbakir with most of his army, And the safety of the city was
entrusted to a small number of guards. Now friends it happened in November 1144. Imad al-Din Zengi was looking for the same opportunity, so within no time, he reached outside the Edessa fort. It was November 30. When the people in the city saw this army they got bewildered. They did not expect this attack at all. So the people closed
the city gates because they did not have any army to fight. What they trusted, were the strong walls of the fort. Imad al-Din laid siege outside the city and pitched his tent in the north of the city. There were also some engineers with him who started to dig out the foundations
of the fort on the north side. Digging continued for several days. When the foundations of the fort
had large holes they were filled with timbers and huge logs. Then fats and explosives were put on wood. On the night of December 24, 1144 these woods were set on fire. Engineers were all set to blow out
the wall with explosives. So, in no time this whole part of the wall blew out with a bang While the demolishing of the wall was going on, announcements were being made in the Turkish army
to be ready to enter the city. In case of victory, they will loot the city for three days. So the entire army awaited collapse
of the wall standing nearby it. The handful of city guards
could only pose helpless spectators while the ruler of Odesa was still far away. As the wall came down thousands of Turkish soldiers went inside and bloodshed began in the city. According to Arab historian Amin Maalouf, at least six thousand civilians lost
their lives in the first attack. Including women and children, many ran for safety to the main fort of the city. But the gates of the fort were closed. People in confusion and fear tried
to climb the fort wall. Thousands were killed in the stampede. Around five thousand were killed this way. The Turkish army had also entered to take control of this part of the fort. It was the time when Imad al-Din Zengi ordered his soldiers to stop the bloodshed. The surviving Christians
were given protection Christians were sworn on their holy books that they would be loyal to Imad al-Din. The Christians already hiding in the fort were also allowed to go back to their homes. However, all the gold, silver, valuables, Crosses, and diamonds in the city were impounded. Priests and important people in the city
were chained and sent to Aleppo. Apart from this, the skilled people in the city were also taken prisoners to make them serve the government. About a hundred European Crusaders in the city were done to death. Friends, on the same matter an Indian historian Shah Moinuddin Nadvi takes a different view. He writes that after the capture of Edessa, the triumphant army ruthlessly killed
and arrested the Christians. Thousands of Christians were made
slaves and maids. The Crosses were broken. Monks were killed, and treasures and the wealth of the city were seized. But after that, when Sultan Imad al-Din entered the city and saw the grand buildings he thought it inappropriate to ruin
such a beautiful city. He stopped his soldiers from
plundering anymore He ordered the release of all prisoners, and the Christians made slaves and maids be set free and return the looted chattel and wealth those who are alive be rehabilitated at their homes. He also ordered to possibly compensate for plunder and pillage done in the beginning. It was his point of view. Imad al Din in order to bolster his support at the local level took another step. Apart from the Muslims, he settled in Edessa 300 Jewish families from abroad. He believed the Jews would be his loyalists against the Christians because the Crusaders were common enemies of both Muslims and Jews. And we have shown you this
in the previous episodes that the Crusaders had also killed
a large number of Jews. My curious fellows, this very first surprise attack by Imad al-Din Zangi ended the Crusader State of the County of Edessa. It was the first of the four Crusader states. The other three namely Jerusalem, Tripoli and Antioch still left. While this first defeat was a big shock
for the Crusader world, it was very good news for the Muslim world. This victory made Imad al Din
the hero of the Muslim world. When the news of this victory reached Baghdad, the Abbasid caliph gave Sultan Zengi a number of titles as Mulk al-Munwar and Zeenat Islam. It goes that the titles given to Imad ad Din were so many in number that only a courtier could remember them. The 12th-century historian Hamza Ibn Al-Qalansi recorded the titles of Imad ad Din as the Amir, Al-Salar al-Azeem, Imad al-Sadiq, Moinullah, Al-Fatih, Yakta Sariya al-Din, Ruler of Islam, Haliya al-Islam , Hammi Khalq Ullah, Shareekul Salala, Moin al-Aqeedah, Greatness of the Ummah, Sharaf al-Muluk, Supporter of the Sultans, Muntassar Alulkuffar wal Malakhta Leader of the Muslim Armies, King Al-Muntasir, King of the Amir ul arakeen wa sorya Ghazi ul Iran, Abu Saeed, Hami Ameerul Momeneen Sultan Imad al-Din Friends, another reason for giving
so many titles to Imad al-Din was that he had for the first time,
halted the invasion of the Crusaders and started taking the territories
back from them. After the victory of Edessa, it got
currency in the Arab world that now Imad al-Din will also liberate Jerusalem. The Muslims expelled from Bait-ul-Maqdis and their descendants who
were in different Arab cities also became hopeful of returning
to their homeland. But Sultan Zengi failed
to meet these hopes. Time did not give him a chance and he too met the fate
of his guardian Al-Mawdud. My curious fellows this fort is located
in a lake "Lake Asad" in Syria. The same lake also stores
the water of the Euphrates River. It is called "Jabar Fort". In order to foil a rebellion in 1146, Imad al-Din had besieged this fort. On the night of September 14,
Imad al-din was in his bed in his tent. The guards were also posted around the tent. But how it happened that after some time Sultan Zengi
was found dead in his bed. He was killed Who killed him no one knows to date Historians do not agree
on a single point. Arab historian Amin Maaloof writes in this regard that Imad al-Din was sleeping in his tent when a clicking sound was heard which opened his eyes. He saw his Frankish slave, a eunuch Yarankash drinking in the royal cup. Imad al-Din Zengi got furious seeing
his cup in the hand of a eunuch. He told the eunuch to punish him
in the morning for this insolence. After that, he again went to the bed The eunuch, who got scared
of the punishment, attacked Imad al-Din with a dagger and injured him badly and ran away. Imad al-Din was lying injured in bed when a loyalist entered the tent. Sultan Zengi thought that he too was among the attackers. He asked the loyalist to finish me off immediately do not cause too much pain. But this guard was a real loyalist
who knelt down before him and said, "Tell me who did all this?" But Sultan Zangi could not gather the courage to name the murderer. And in this effort, his breathing broke. Friends, it is one historical version of
Sultan Imad al-Din's murder. There are also some other versions. Some believe the eunuch did a preplanned killing of Imad al-Din for some reason. So when he got the chance,
he stabbed and escaped. Historian Shah Moinuddin writes
Imad al-Din towards Armenian, Roman and Turkish slaves had been quite harsh. Because of it, some slaves became hostile to him. So, in the siege of Jabar Fort, these slaves got an opportunity and they killed and escaped. Imad al-Din was over sixty when he was murdered. Western historian "Thomas S. Bridge" offers another version. There were also such rumours that
in the murder of Imad al-Din the rulers of Damascus were involved for they had old enmity with the Zengi dynasty Some historians also term it
the Crusader Conspiracy. It means, no definitive opinion about the death of such a renowned Muslim general is available. This murder is still a historical mystery. The killing of Imad al-Din Zengi was
the tragedy for the Muslim army but what happened subsequently was more surprising and worrisome. As the news of this sudden death
spread in the army the soldiers begin to violate discipline. They started looting within the army. The entire treasures of Imad al-Din were looted. The commanders gathered their troops and declared independence
occupying the forts around. Damascus which had not yet come
under the control of Sultan Zengi, its' ruler occupied central Syria. On the other, the old ruler of the Crusader state of Edessa, "Jocelyn II", who was ruling some remaining parts of the state, also got ready to take back his entire empire. The Crusader state of Antioch began attacks on the areas around Aleppo. It seemed the newly established
Zengi Empire was about to end and everyone will take away one's part
as much as one had power. But at this juncture, Imad al-Din Zengi's 28-year-old son Nuruddin took over the power. It goes that when Sultan Zengi's body
was lying in his tent, Nuruddin came to his father's body. He held his father's hand and
removed the royal ring and put it on. After that, Imad al-Din was buried. Now Nuruddin Zengi has become the new ruler of a disintegrating empire and a huge mound of problems
stood against him. He had to face intrigues from within
and the armies of the Crusaders. Was young Sultan, Nuruddin Zengi able to save his father's empire? In the Second Crusade, the Muslim world got another hero and not many people are familiar with him. Who was he? How Saladin Ayubi became
able to face the Crusaders? You will see all this in the next episode
of The Crusades and Ayubi, In the first two episodes of this series,
friends, we showed you how Pope Urban II initiated
the Crusades from Europe. Then you saw how Jerusalem
was captured by the Crusaders. You can see both episodes here and here. Here you can know, what the utopia is
that you often hear in political debates?
