Al-Mu'azzam Isa

(1176 – 1227) was the Emir of Damascus from 1218 to 1227. He was the son of Sultan al-Adil I and nephew of Saladin, founder of the Kurdish Ayyubid dynasty.

Life Al-Mu'azzam was installed by his father as governor of Damascus in 1198 or 1200. In 1217-1218 al-Mu'azzam was supporting his father in operations against the Crusaders of the Fifth Crusade. He occupied Nablus to screen Jerusalem from attack, then was instructed to destroy the fortifications of Mt.Tabor in order to free up its garrison for use elsewhere. He gained success in a minor battle near Ramla, but immediately afterwards returned to Damascus on receiving news of his father's death. He resumed the rule of Syria, though loyally acknowledging the suzerainty of his brother, Al-Kamil, the new sultan. After his father's death in 1218, al-Mu'azzam ruled the Ayyubid lands in Syria in his own name, down to his own death in 1227. Once again in Egypt with his troops, he was on hand for the surrender of Damietta by the Crusaders, in September 1221. With the Crusader threat lifted, the endemic strife between the leading members of the Ayyubid dynasty resurfaced. He laid siege to Hama, in January 1223, and took Maarat al-Numan and Salamya. Forced to desist and return his conquests by the sultan, al-Mu'azzam reacted by allying himself with Gökböri, the ruler of Erbil. His rebellion was largely aimed at al Ashraf, who governed the Jazira. In order to free himself from the restraint imposed by al-Kamil, he used his influence over the army in Egypt to paralyse the Sultan's ability to interfere militarily. In 1226 al-Mu'azzam attacked Homs, while Gökböri assaulted Mosul. The military pressure induced al Ashraf to make his submission to al Mu'azzam. However, in May 1227, al Ashraf succeeded in escaping from his captivity in Damascus. With all the Ayyubid princes now aligned against him and menaced by Emperor Frederick II's Crusaders, al Mu'azzam destroyed the fortifications of Jerusalem. On 12 November 1227, before any conflict with Frederick, he died, lamented by his soldiers and the citizens of Damascus. He was succeeded by his son, an-Nasir Dawud.

He was respected as a man of letters, and was interested in grammar and jurisprudence. 1210 or 1211: the Cistern of al-Muʿaẓẓam ʿĪsā, a water tank. 1216 or 1217: the Shaʿlān Sebil, a sebil (fountain). 1217 or 1218: restoring the arched portico of al-Aqsa Mosque's façade, adding a pendentive dome over the main entrance. a Hanbalite prayer place in the southeast corner of the compound; demolished in the 19th century. New door leaves for the Superintendant's Gate and Remission Gate. 1209–1218: al-Muʿaẓẓamīya Madrasa (al-Hanafiyya Madrasa), Jerusalem: specialized in Hanafi jurisprudence (now al-Mujāhidīn Mosque). 1214: an-Nāṣiriyya (an-Nāṣriyya): on top of the Golden Gate; named after his uncle, Saladin . It no longer exists. al-Muʿaẓẓamīya Madrasa, aṣ-Ṣāliḥiyyah, Damascus: also his family mausoleum.

Furthermore, he modified the walls of Jerusalem and Damascus: 1202, 1203, 1212 and 1213-14: repairing Jerusalem's walls' fortifications.