Ismat ad-Din is a
laqab (the descriptive part of an Arabic name) meaning "purity of the faith";
Khatun is an
honorific meaning "lady" or "noblewoman”. Her given name (
ism in Arabic) is unknown. Her father became regent of
Damascus in 1138, and ruled the city on behalf of a series of young
emirs of the
Burid dynasty. During this time, Damascus' chief rivals to the north,
Aleppo and
Mosul, were united under the rule of the
Zengid dynasty. Damascus had maintained an unsteady alliance with the Crusader
Kingdom of Jerusalem, but in 1147, Mu'in ad-Din negotiated an alliance with the Zengid emir of Aleppo,
Nur ad-Din, who had an engagement with Ismat ad-Din as part of the agreement. The next year, forces of
Second Crusade conducted the unsuccessful
Siege of Damascus, and Mu'in ad-Din was forced to recognize Nur ad-Din, who had come to his rescue against the crusaders, as overlord of the city. Ismat ad-Din Khatun's father died in 1149 and her marriage with Nur ad-Din also happened that year when Nur ad-Din gained complete control over Damascus by 1154. However, the majority of sources claimed that Nur ad-Din and Ismat ad Din's marriage was never consummated as both of them never actually met with each other and the marriage was only a part of the agreement with Mu'in ad-Din. It is also noted by
Ibn Athir and Asad al Asadi that Ismat ad-Din's marriage with Saladin was proclaimed as her first marriage publicly and her marriage with Nur ad-Din was not public until he died and Saladin married Ismat ad-Din to gain control over that territory. Nur ad-Din's wife Razi Khatun, who was the mother his daughters Shams un Nisa, Aqsa un Nisa (Saladin's wife) and a son named
As-Salih, also denied anything that solidifies Ismat ad-Din's complete marriage with Nur ad-Din. When Nur ad-Din died in 1174, King
Amalric I of Jerusalem took advantage of the situation and besieged the city of
Banias. Ismat offered him a bribe to lift the siege, but, hoping for a larger offer, Amalric continued the siege for two weeks, until finally accepting the money along with the release of twenty Christian prisoners.
William of Tyre describes Ismat as having "courage beyond that of most women" in this matter. Nur ad-Din's former general
Saladin had meanwhile gained control over
Egypt, and claimed Damascus as his successor. He legitimized this claim by marrying Ismat at-Din in 1176. She was apparently not his only wife. In 1186, she died of the plague epidemic that broke out in Damascus. Other sources states that she was suffering from Tuberculosis at the time which was proven fatal for her. However, by the time she died, Saladin was writing letters to her every day; as he was himself recovering from a lengthy illness at the time, news of her death was kept from him for three months. In Damascus, she was the benefactor of numerous religious buildings, including a
madrasa and a mausoleum for her father. She was buried in the
Jamaa' al-Jadid in Damascus. She had no children with Nur ad-Din as their marriage was never consummated, but she also didn't have any children with Saladin or nothing was recorded about it in history. Most people claim Saladin's daughter Munisa'h Khatun to be Ismat's daughter. However, sources backing this fact are unclear. ==See also==