In this year, Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn's brother, Sultan Malik al-Muʿaẓẓam Shams ad-Dawla Turānshāh b. Ayyūb, passed away. This person had conquered Yemen by the order of his brother Salāḥ ad-Dīn. He stayed there for a while, acquired a great amount of wealth, left another as his deputy there, and then came to Damascus to be with his brother, whom he longed for. On the way, he sent a poem written for him by a poet in a letter to his brother. The poet who wrote this poem was named Ibn Munjam. When they reached the Sema region, they sent this poem in a letter to Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn:
“Does my brother, my noble king—although coming and going and farewells in this world take long—have knowledge about the person who will be reached in his presence?
One day, although death is a great matter, I have believed and pledged allegiance that I will appear before him. There remain less than twenty nights until our meeting.
Our meeting will enliven our eyes and ears.
I am coming to such a sultan that when he appears, other sultans turn towards him.
Others show respect and reverence to him—although he himself is a person who fears Allah.
I have expressed only a part of my longing for you in my letter.
Doves sing songs of longing because they have learned only a part of my yearning.
You are a wrist that supports the palm of sovereignty.
You affix this to the world. We are the fingers of this palm.”
Turānshāh came to his brother in the year 571 AH. Together with him, he carried out many important affairs and engaged in praiseworthy activities. Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn appointed him as deputy of Dimashq for a while. Then he went to Egypt and appointed him as deputy of Alexandria. However, Turānshāh did not consent to this request because he was afflicted with back pains. He died in this year. He was buried in the government mansion in Alexandria. Later, his sister transferred him to Damascus and buried him in his tomb there. He was interred on the qibla side of the Berrāniyya tomb. In the middle section, there is the tomb of Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn's sister Sitt al-Shām's husband and cousin Nasir ad-Dīn Muḥammad b. ʿIsā al-Dīn, who had governed Hama and Raḥba. At the end of the tomb is the grave of Sitt al-Shām. Al-Turbah al-Ḥusāmiyya belongs to her father Ḥusām ad-Dīn ʿUmar b. Lāshin, which is located on the west side of the madrasa and adjacent to it. The aforementioned Turānshāh was a generous, magnanimous, imposing, noble, and courageous person. He gave generously to people and provided sustenance. Ibn Ṣadān al-Ḥalabī wrote the following poem about him:
“He was a ruler. If you have heard of Kisrā and Kāysar, know that Kisrā and Kāysar are his slaves in generosity and strength.
There is no ruler or powerful person like him.
Look at what we have seen, leave aside what has been narrated.
Take refuge in his exaltedness and seek safety.
Because he protects you from the oppression and enmity of time.
When the clouds in his palms pour down rains of generosity,
Do not expect anything from other clouds.
His palms give you everything you desire. In his right hand is blessing, and in his left hand is abundance.”
While Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn had set up camp outside Homs, he received the news of his brother Turānshāh's death. He was overwhelmed with intense grief. He recited heroic poems and elegies, which are preserved in books.
In the month of Rajab of this year, the caliph Nāṣir's envoys brought robes and gifts to Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn. He wore these robes in Dimashq. The city was decorated for this purpose. Truly, it was a magnificent day worth seeing.
Also in the month of Rajab of this year, Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn went to Egypt to inspect the state of the country and to observe the fast of Ramaḍān there. He intended to perform the Ḥajj this year. He left his nephew ʿIzz ad-Dīn Farrūḥshāh as deputy in Dimashq. ʿIzz ad-Dīn was an incomparable, virtuous person. Qāḍī Fāḍil wrote a letter on behalf of Malik al-ʿĀdil Abū Bakr to the Yemenis, the people of Bāqī, and the people of Mecca, informing them that Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn had decided to perform the Ḥajj, and that the Shaykh al-Shuyūkh Ṣadr ad-Dīn Abū al-Qāsim ʿAbd al-Raḥmān was accompanying him. The Shaykh al-Shuyūkh had come as an envoy from the caliph to Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn and brought him robes. He would serve him in the land of Egypt and accompany him to Ḥijāz. Finally, when Sultan Salāḥ ad-Dīn left Dimashq and arrived in Egypt, the army welcomed him. As for the Shaykh al-Shuyūkh, after staying briefly in Egypt, he went to Ḥijāz by sea.
At the beginning of Ramaḍān, he reached the Masjid al-Ḥarām and began fasting there. In this year, Karakush al-Takāwī went to the Maghrib. There he besieged the city of Fārs. He also laid siege to many fortresses and conquered many of them. In one fortress, he captured a black child as a prisoner and wanted to kill him. The people of the fortress said, “Do not kill him; we will pay you 10,000 dinars as blood money.” However, Karakush did not accept this offer, so the people increased the blood money to 100,000 dinars. But he also rejected this proposal. He insisted on killing the child and did so. After killing him, an elderly man who was the fortress's custodian came down with the keys of the fortress. He said to Karakush, “Take these keys. I am an old man. I have been protecting the keys against the relatives of the child you have killed until now. I have a nephew. I fear that after me, they will put him on the throne.” Karakush left him on his throne and took a large amount of goods and money from him.