and made them swear allegiance to his cousin Izz al-Din Masʿud (1), lord of Mosul. He chose him because his authority was strong and firmly established, hoping he could shield the realm from (2) Saladin; he also feared they might instead pledge to his other cousin, ʿImad al-Din Zangi (3), lord of Sinjar—his brother-in-law and his father’s foster-son—who would not be able to hold it against Saladin.

When he died, the people of Aleppo summoned Izz al-Din Masʿud ibn Qutb al-Din, lord of Mosul. He came to them and entered Aleppo in great pomp; it was a notable day, the twentieth of Shaʿban. He took possession of its treasuries, storehouses, and all the weapons it contained. Taqi al-Din ʿUmar (4) happened to be in Manbij, so he fled to Hama and found its inhabitants had already raised the banner of Izz al-Din, lord of Mosul (5).

The Aleppans then enticed Izz al-Din (6) Masʿud (7) with the prospect of seizing Damascus, since Saladin was absent in Egypt (8); they told him of the affection (9) the people of Syria had for this Atabeg house (10). He replied to them (11), “Between us and Saladin (12) are oaths and covenants, and I will not (13) betray him.”

He stayed in Aleppo for several months and, in Shawwal, married the mother of al-Malik al-Salih. He then marched to al-Raqqah and encamped there. Envoys (14) from his brother ʿImad al-Din Zangi came, asking (15) him to exchange Aleppo for Sinjar. They pressed him hard, and though he at first refused, he eventually agreed, unwillingly: he handed Aleppo over to him, while ʿImad al-Din (16) ceded Sinjar, the Khabur, al-Raqqah, Nisibin, Saruj, and other territories.

When Sultan Saladin heard of these events he set out from Egypt with his armies, advanced to the Euphrates, crossed it, and some of the emirs serving the lord of Mosul secretly defected to him. Consequently, the lord of Mosul withdrew, declining to face him.