Banu Kilab
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The Banu Kilab was an Arab tribe in the western Najd where they controlled the horse-breeding pastures of Dariyya from the mid-6th century until at least the mid-9th century. The tribe was divided int
Hundreds of Kilabi tribesmen and chieftains were imprisoned in the dungeons of Aleppo's citadel (pictured) by Mansur ibn Lu'lu' in 1012. Two years later, Salih ibn Mirdas escaped the citadel, captured Mansur and exchanged him for the remaining Kilabi prisoners. In 1025, Salih captured Aleppo and made it the capital of his Mirdasid emirate.
Salih ibn Mirdas
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Abu Ali Salih ibn Mirdas also known by his laqab Asad al-Dawla, was the founder of the Mirdasid dynasty and emir of Aleppo from 1025 until his death in May 1029. At its peak, his emirate encompassed m
Banu Kilab
…emir Sayf al-Dawla in 944. The Kilab often rebelled against the Hamdanids and participated in their intra-dynastic disputes. In the early 11th century, Salih ibn Mirdas assumed leadership of the Kilab and by 1025, he established an Aleppo-based emirate (principality) that spanned much of the western Jazira and northern…
Gold dinar minted in Aleppo in the name of Salih ibn Mirdas and recognizing the suzerainty of Fatimid caliph az-Zahir, 1028/29 CE
Salih was first mentioned in the historical record when he captured the fortress of al-Rahba (pictured in 2005) in 1008. The fortress as depicted in the photograph dates to the 12th century.
Ruins of Balis (pictured in 2005) on the Euphrates River. Between 1009 and 1022, Salih laid the foundations of his emirate by capturing a string of fortress towns along the Euphrates, including Balis, Manbij, al-Rahba, Raqqa and al-Rafiqah
General view of old Aleppo (foreground) and its citadel (background), 2008. Aleppo was the capital of Salih's Mirdasid emirate. The citadel as depicted in the photograph dates to the 12th century.