and a horse fitted with a golden saddle, a black standard, and several robes of honour for his sons that were brought by al-Suhrawardī (1). His investiture decree was read out while he sat upon a chair; the recitation was performed by his vizier, and in it he was addressed as: “al-ʿĀdil Shāh Armin, King of Kings, the intimate of the Commander of the Faithful.”

Fearing the Franks, he made peace with them, concluded a truce, granted them the tax revenue of Ramla and Ludd, and surrendered Jaffa to them; thus their courage grew—Allah alone controls affairs.

He then ordered the renewal of the Damascus Citadel, obliging every prince of his house (3) to construct a tower; this took place in 604 AH. He also restored several other fortresses.

Al-Muwaffaq ʿAbd al-Laṭīf said: “He was the deepest thinker among his brothers, the longest-lived, the one who looked farthest into outcomes, and the most fond of money. He combined forbearance, deliberation, and patience in adversity; fortunate (4), of high standing, ever victorious, a hearty and even voracious eater—he would consume a Damascene pound of sugared confectionery at a sitting. He performed many prayers, fasted on Thursdays, and increased his charities whenever calamities descended. He was seldom ill. On one occasion forty loads of watermelon were brought to him; he split them all, ate to excess, and suffered a single day’s fever. He greatly enjoyed the company of slave-girls and allowed no servant into their quarters unless the boy was below the age of puberty.

“Several sons were born to him, whom he installed as sultans, and he married his daughters to the monarchs of neighbouring realms. More than once plots were laid to assassinate him, yet Allah kept him safe.”