His merits, exploits, and admirable qualities are exceedingly numerous; we have mentioned only a brief selection from which the rest may be inferred.

Shaykh Shihab al-Din, at the beginning of al-Rawdatayn (1), records many of those virtues and cites the odes composed in his praise (2). He also relates (3) that when King Salah al-Din conquered Egypt (4), Nur al-Din more than once resolved to remove him from that land and appoint someone else in his stead, yet destiny held him back; the fighting against the Franks, the nearness of his death, and the exhaustion of his lifespan (5) all deterred him.

Thus, in the year 569 AH—the final year of his life—he firmly (6) set his sights on Egypt. He dispatched orders to the armies of Mosul and other regions to remain in Syria as a safeguard against the Franks during his absence, while he himself would march to Egypt with the bulk of his forces (7). King Salah al-Din feared him greatly (8).

On the day of Eid al-Fitr of that year he rode to the southern Green Maydan, where the khatib led the Eid prayer; it was a Sunday (9). He then shot the qabq (10) in the northern Green Maydan, while fate seemed to say to him, “This is your last festival” (11). That day he spread out a lavish banquet and ordered, according to custom, that it be freely plundered (12). He also circumcised his son al-Malik al-Salih Ismaʿil (13) that day; the city was adorned for the occasion (14), and the drums of celebration were beaten for both the feast and the circumcision.

On Monday he mounted in procession as usual, and later that day played polo (15). One of the emirs provoked him to anger—something wholly uncharacteristic of him—so he hurried to the Citadel in a state of intense wrath, and there befell him