and the physician whispered to him, “Your brother is going to die.”

The brother died the next day, and al-Ashraf took control of Armenia. He was handsome in appearance and agreeable in character; it was said that none of his standards was ever routed. He was, however, fond of amusements and wine—may Allah pardon him—yet he went to great lengths in humbling himself before the poor: he used to visit them, give to them, reward poetry, send sweets to their quarters in Ramadan, share in charitable works, and he possessed keen understanding, intelligence, and statesmanship.

He demolished the ʿUqayba caravanserai and turned it into a congregational mosque (1).

Sibt al-Jawzī (2) said: “I sat in it, and al-Ashraf was present; he wept, freed a number of slaves, and built the Bāb al-Naṣr Mosque, the Dār al-Saʿāda, the Mosque of Abū al-Dardāʾ, the Jarrāḥ Congregational Mosque, and the Dār al-Ḥadīth schools in the city, at al-Safḥ, and at al-Dahsha, as well as the Bayt al-Abar Mosque.

“Sibt al-Jawzī (3) also said: “Al-Ashraf used to attend my gatherings in Ḥarrān, Akhlāṭ, and Damascus. He was a chaste king. He once told me, ‘Never have I lifted my eyes to look upon anyone’s womenfolk, whether male or female. An old woman came to me on behalf of the daughter of the ruler of Akhlāṭ, Shah Arman, complaining that the chamberlain ʿAlī (4) had seized one of her villages, so I wrote ordering its release.’

“The old woman then said, ‘She wishes to appear before you.’ I replied, ‘By Allah’s name.’ She brought her in, and I had never seen a more graceful figure or a fairer face. She served, so I rose to greet her and said, ‘You are in this city while I have no—”