Civilization: Ayyubid Sultanate
Ruler: al-Kamil Muhammad I
Mint: Damascus
Year: Ca. 1220 AD
Composition: Silver
Denomination: Dirham
Diameter: 20.0mm
Weight: 3.0g
Reference: Album 812; Balog 467

Obverse
Name and titles of the Ayyubid Caliph al-Kamil in three lines; mint and date around

Reverse
Citing the Abbasid Caliph al-Mustansir in three lines

The Ayyubid Sultanate (1171–1260), founded by Salah ad-Din (Saladin), emerged during the decline of the Fatimid Caliphate in Egypt and amidst the Crusades. Saladin, a Kurdish military leader and a Sunni Muslim, established the dynasty after overthrowing the Fatimids in Cairo, restoring Sunni Islam to prominence in the region. The Ayyubids expanded their realm, encompassing Egypt, Syria, the Hejaz, and parts of Yemen and North Africa.

Saladin is renowned for uniting Muslim forces and reclaiming Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187 following the Battle of Hattin. The Ayyubid rule emphasized military prowess, religious orthodoxy, and urban development. Notably, they built citadels, promoted trade, and patronized Islamic learning.

After Saladin's death in 1193, his successors fragmented the sultanate into semi-autonomous principalities, weakening centralized power. The dynasty declined under pressure from Crusaders, internal disputes, and the rise of the Mamluks, who supplanted them in 1260.