Shirkuh
| Shirkuh | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
13th century European depiction of Adîd abû Muhammad and Shîrkûh (upper panel), with the arrival of Amalric at Constantinople (lower panel) | |||||
| Vizier of the Fatimid Caliphate | |||||
| Reign | 18 January – 23 March 1169 | ||||
| Predecessor | Shawar | ||||
| Successor | Saladin (Vizier) | ||||
| Born | Dvin, Armenia | ||||
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| Father | Shadhi ibn Marwan (Kurdish Chief) | ||||
| Religion | Sunni Islam | ||||
Asad ad-Dīn Shīrkūh bin Shādhī (Arabic: أسد الدين شيركوه بن شاذي, romanized: ʾasad al-Dīn Šērkōh bin Šāḏī; Kurdish: ئەسەدەدین شێرکۆ، شێرگوێ, romanized: Esed El-Dîn Şêrko, Şêrgûh), (died 23 March 1169) was a Kurdish mercenary commander in service of the Zengid dynasty, then the Fatimid Caliphate and uncle of Saladin. His military and diplomatic efforts in Egypt were a key factor in establishing the Ayyubid dynasty in that country.