Syria, so as to protect it from the hands of the abased Franks (1); however, an unforeseen development diverted him from that aim. The Franks had appeared off the Egyptian coast (2) with an armada the like of which had never been heard of, both for the sheer number of its vessels (3), the quantity of weapons and siege engines it carried, and the multitude of fighting men (4).

Among the flotilla were two hundred (5) shīnī (6) war-ships, each bearing one hundred and fifty soldiers, in addition to four hundred other craft. They sailed from Sicily and reached the outskirts of Alexandria four days before New Year’s Day. There they set up manjānīq (mangonels) and dabbābāt (mobile siege shelters) around the city. The townspeople sallied forth and fought fiercely in its defence; the battle raged for several days, and a great many on both sides were killed. The inhabitants then agreed to burn the mangonels (7) and dabbābāt the Franks had erected; they did so, which weakened the Franks’ spirits and blunted their resolve (8). The Muslims then stormed their encampments, killing (9) whom they wished and seizing whatever spoils they pleased. The unbelievers (10) fled in every direction, finding no refuge save the sea, death, or captivity. The Muslims took possession of their goods, baggage, horses, and the tents they had pitched; in short, they slew a great many men and captured enormous wealth. Those who survived boarded their fleet and returned to their lands in disappointment, having gained none of what they had hoped for.

Another matter that delayed al-Malik al-Nāṣir from proceeding to Syria was this: a man known as al-Kanz—called by some ʿAbbās ibn Shādhī—one of the leading figures in Egypt and a partisan of the Fatimid regime (in truth, the ʿUbaydid dynasty), had withdrawn (11) to a place called Aswān. There he began gathering (12) a rabble from among the townsfolk and Bedouins, claiming that he would restore the Fatimid state and drive out the Turkish atabegs. A great multitude rallied to him. He advanced (13) toward Qūṣ and its surrounding districts, killing a number of its emirs and notables, whereupon Sultan Ṣalāḥ al-Dīn dispatched a detachment of the army against him.