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Salih ibn Mirdas

Salih ibn Mirdas
Emir of Aleppo
Reign June 1025–May 1029
Predecessor Thu'ban ibn Muhammad
Successor Mu'izz al-Dawla Thimal
Shibl al-Dawla Nasr
Died May 1029
Al-Uqhuwanah, eastern shore of Lake Tiberias
Spouse Tarud
Issue Shibl al-Dawla Nasr
Mu'izz al-Dawla Thimal
Asad al-Dawla Atiyya
Full name
Abū ʿAlī Ṣāliḥ ibn Mirdās
Regnal name
Asad al-Dawla
House Banu Kilab (tribe)
Dynasty Mirdasid
Father Mirdas ibn Idris
Mother Rabab al-Zawqaliyah
Religion Shia Islam
Full name
Abū ʿAlī Ṣāliḥ ibn Mirdās
Regnal name
Asad al-Dawla

Abū ʿAlī Ṣāliḥ ibn Mirdās, also known by the laqab (honorific epithet) Asad al-Dawla ("Lion of the State") (died May 1029), was the founder of the Mirdasid dynasty of Aleppo, ruling between 1025 until his death. At its peak, his emirate (principality) encompassed much of the western Jazira, northern Syria and a string of central Syrian towns. With occasional interruption, Salih's descendants would rule Aleppo for the next five decades.

Salih launched his career in 1008/09 when he seized al-Rahba on the Euphrates River. In 1012, he was imprisoned and tortured by the emir of Aleppo, Mansur ibn Lu'lu; two years later, he escaped, captured Mansur in battle and released him in return for numerous concessions, including half of Aleppo's revenues. This action cemented Salih as the paramount emir of his Banu Kilab tribe, many of whose chieftains had died in Mansur's dungeons. With his Bedouin warriors, Salih captured a string of fortresses along the Euphrates, including Manbij and Raqqa, by 1022. He later formed an alliance with the Banu Kalb and Banu Tayy and militarily supported their struggle against the Fatimids. During this tribal rebellion, Salih annexed the central Syrian towns of Hims, Ba'albak and Sidon before finally conquering Fatimid-held Aleppo in 1025.

Salih established a well-organized administration over his Aleppo-based domains. Militarily, he relied on the Banu Kilab, while entrusting fiscal administration to his local Christian vizier, policing to an urban militia commander and judicial matters to a Shia Muslim qāḍī. His rule was officially tolerated by the Fatimids, to whom he paid formal allegiance. However, his alliance with the Banu Tayy ultimately drew him into conflict with the Fatimid general, Anushtakin al-Dizbari, whose forces killed Salih in battle near Lake Tiberias. Salih was succeeded by his sons Thimal and Nasr.


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