Fadl ibn Isa

Fadl ibn Isa, also known as Fadl II, was a prince of the Al Fadl, an Arab dynasty that dominated the Syrian Desert beginning in the 13th century. Between 1311 and 1317, he served as amir al-ʿarab, which gave him authority over the Bedouin tribes of northern Syria on behalf of the Mamluk Sultanate.

Biography Fadl was a son of Isa ibn Muhanna, the chieftain of the Al Fadl clan, a branch of the Tayyid tribe of Banu Rabi'ah. Beginning with Isa, members of the Al Fadl became the hereditary holders of the office of amir al-ʿarab (commander of the Bedouin) on behalf of the Mamluk Sultanate. After Isa's death in 1284, Fadl's brother Muhanna became amir al-ʿarab with iqta'at (fiefs) in Salamiyah, Palmyra and elsewhere in Syria. When Muhanna fell out with the Mamluk sultan an-Nasir Muhammad in 1311/12 and defected to the Mongol Ilkhanate, the sultan appointed Fadl in his place as amir al-ʿarab.

Though Fadl appeared to oppose Muhanna's defection, the 14th-century Arab historian, al-Umari, noted that the two brothers cooperated in playing the Mamluks and Ilkhanids off of each other for their own interest. He wrote "they were agreed at heart, but openly they were otherwise". Soon after, it was reported that the Bedouin tribes of al-Ahsa and Qatif drove Fadl out of the region of Basra south of Baghdad. On some occasions, Fadl's direct descendants held the office, such as his sons Isa (r. 1342–1343) and Sayf (r. 1343–1345, 1347–1348).

Purported tomb The purported grave of Fadl ibn Isa is in the maqam (shrine) of 'Nabi Barri', located in the village of Barri Sharqi in the vicinity of Salamiyah. The name of 'Fadl ibn Isa ibn Muhanna' was inscribed on a gravestone in the maqam.