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
Reign18 January – 23 March 1169
PredecessorShawar
SuccessorSaladin (Vizier)
BornDvin, Armenia
Names
Asad ad-Dīn Shirkuh ibn Shadhī
FatherShadhi ibn Marwan (Kurdish Chief)
ReligionSunni Islam

Asad al-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 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.