And the Maghrebi troops wrought upon Damascus and other cities every vile act of killing and pillage; they did what even the Franks would have shrunk from doing. Were it not for fear of prolixity, I would recount horrors that make the eyes weep. (1)
69 – al-ʿAzīz bi-llāh Nizār ibn al-Muʿizz Maʿadd ibn Ismāʿīl
The ruler of Egypt, Abū Manṣūr Nizār ibn al-Muʿizz Maʿadd ibn Ismāʿīl al-ʿUbaydī al-Mahdī al-Maghribī.
Born: 344 AH.
He succeeded his father in Rabīʿ al-Awwal of 365 AH.
He was generous, brave, and forgiving; brown-skinned, with light-coloured hair, large (2) hazel (3) eyes, and broad shoulders. His manners were commendable, and he kept close to his subjects. Passionately fond of hunting—especially the pursuit of beasts of prey—he still took no pleasure in the shedding of blood. He composed poetry and possessed learning. (4)
When a son of his died on the day of the Festival, he recited:
We are the offspring of the Chosen One, men of affliction;
The first of us was tested, and so is our last.