Husam ad-Din Lu'lu'

Husam ad-Din Lu'lu' (died 1200) was a notable Mamluk commander during Saladin's era.

Biography

An admiral of Armenian origin, Lu'lu' began his military career in the Fatimid army. Under the Ayyubid dynasty, he served as hajib, and was later appointed by Al-Adil I to lead the Ayyubid fleet, which was manned by sailors from North Africa. His primary mission was to counter Crusader raids on the Red Sea region starting in 1182. Lu'lu' successfully broke the blockade of Ile de Gray, defeating two ships belonging to Raynald of Châtillon, and reclaimed Aila. Subsequently, he led the Muslim fleet down the Red Sea, where they surprised and routed Frankish ships anchored near al-Hawra and Rabigh. The raiders abandoned their vessels and fled into the Arabian desert, pursued by Lu'lu's forces for five days, resulting in the capture of nearly all the enemy raiders.

Later, commanding a Muslim navy of 50 ships, Lu'lu' participated in the siege of Acre, capturing two large Crusader vessels laden with plunder, as recorded by Abu Shama. Following this, he was entrusted by Al-Mu'azzam Isa with overseeing the fortress at Mount Tabor.

Husam ad-Din Lu'lu' died on 9 Jumada al-Thani AH 596 (AD 1200).

Sources

• Abu Shama (2002). Ibrahim Shams al-Din (ed.). Kitāb al-rawḍatayn fī akhbār al-dawlatayn al-Nūriyya wa-l-Ṣalāḥiyya [The Book of the Two Gardens, Concerning Affairs of the Reigns of Nūr al-Dīn and Ṣalāḥ Al-Dīn] (in Arabic). Vol. 4. Dar Al Kotob Al Ilmiyah.
• Costello, E. J.; Francesco, Gabrieli (1969). Arab Historians of the Crusades. University of California Press. ISBN 9780520036161.
• Humphreys, R. Stephen (1977). From Saladin to the Mongols: The Ayyubids of Damascus, 1193–1260. Albany, New York: State University of New York Press. ISBN 0-87395-263-4.
• Man, John (2015). Saladin: The Life, the Legend and the Islamic Empire. Transworld. ISBN 9781473508545.
• Runciman, Steven (1987). A History of the Crusades Volume 2. Cambridge University Press.