Education under the rule of the Zangid and Ayyubid states in the Levant

Section: Research Paper
Published
Jun 24, 2025
Pages
271-328

Abstract

The Abbasid state weakened during its last days, neglect and disintegration, which led to the separation of parts of it. It has nothing to do with the sovereignty of Baghdad except for formal appearances, as it has its own administrations and its independent military and cultural affairs. Among the largest of these countries in the Levantine lands were the Zangid and Ayyubid states, which had a major role in pushing the wheel of knowledge and knowledge to far stages of sophistication and antiquity, despite the violent conflict with the Crusader West and the Tatar East. The intellectual movement flourished in the era of the Zankites, especially during the reign of Nur al-Din Mahmud (d. 569), who was one of their greatest kings, and he was a lover of science and scholars, literature and writers, and from his passion for the world, he constantly gathered scholars in his council and consulted them in matters of his religion and world, surrounded them with his care and his graces, and prepared them for them The appropriate climate for their livelihood and work is considered to be the first for scholars in Islamic history. Among the famous jurists who came to him, Qutb Al-Nisaburi (d. 568). Abu Shama al-Maqdisi says: Nur al-Din interpreted it, took it to Aleppo at Bab al-Iraq school, and built a large school for Shafii for his credit. The intellectual movement became more active during the Ayyubid era. Saladin Ibn Yusuf Ibn Ayyub (d.589) was the founder of the Ayyubid state and conqueror of the Crusaders in the fiercest battles and savior of Al-Quds Al-Sharif from the evils of the fiercest and aggressive group. His court gathered a multitude of scholars and writers, such as the virtuous judge, Ibn Shaddad al-Qadi and Imad al-Din al-Katib, and did not meet - as Ibn al-Adim says - at the door of one of the kings after Saif al-Dawla bin Hammadan, he did not meet at his door, and added to Saif al-Dawla in love, favor and giving. A large number of the Ayyubid family emerged in composing poetry, writing and classifying books on the one hand, building schools and taking care of their men, establishing libraries, and accompanying scholars and writers on the other hand, and they are as the poet said: If you receive them you will meet their master like the stars with which the sari rests In our research, we will highlight the impact of the two Ayyubid Zankid dynasties on education, and the great work they have carried out in serving knowledge and spreading knowledge.

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How to Cite

Rasheed, N., & نظام. (2025). Education under the rule of the Zangid and Ayyubid states in the Levant. Adab Al-Rafidayn, 9(10), 271–328. https://doi.org/10.33899/radab.1979.166138