During the reign of
Lajin (), with whom Salar had a close friendship, Salar first attained prominence as the Sultan's
ustadar (
majordomo). Nonetheless, Salar participated in Lajin's assassination and the subsequent installation of Qalawun's young son
al-Nasir Muhammad as sultan in 1299. Later, in September of that year, Salar also helped suppress a mutiny by an Oirat contingent in the Mamluk army in
Palestine whose aim has been to reinstall the Oirat
Kitbugha as sultan. The Oirats had collaborated with disaffected members of the Royal Mamluks and attempted to assassinate Salar at
Tell al-Ajjul near
Gaza. During the second reign of al-Nasir, eight mamluks of the Mansuriyya, including Salar, wielded actual power. He held the official role of ''na'ib al-saltana'' (viceroy) and was one of the two most powerful leaders of the sultanate alongside
Baybars al-Jashnakir. Salar and Baybars arranged for a relatively small payment to the Sultan while they divided most state matters between themselves. According to the 14th-century historian
al-Maqrizi, Salar and Baybars would assemble the leading mamluks and officials in front of the Sultan twice weekly where "Salar presented to him whatever he wanted, consulted about it with the amirs and said: 'the sultan ordered so and so' and he [al-Nasir Muhammad] signed it". Salar and Baybars largely avoided conflict with each other, aware of the potentially fatal repercussions for either should factional strife occur. The Sultan often attempted to foster such strife between them and their respective supporters. Salar's 'Turkish' faction was composed of most of the Mansuriyya and the remnants of the older Salihiyya mamluks, while Baybars was backed by the largely
Circassian Burjiyya mamluks, the more numerous and stronger faction within the Mansuriyya. Salar had established marital ties with the family of Qalawun in 1299 when he married off his daughter to Musa ibn al-Salih Ali ibn Qalawun. In 1304 they consummated the marriage and in the following year, Salar brought his mother and two brothers, Juba and Dawud, to Egypt, along with around 200 other Oirats. Salar's other brothers Adam, Mughultay, Lajin and Samuk, were already established in Egypt. Salar soon after promoted his relatives and associates, awarding emirates to his brothers, his son-in-law Musa, and his friend
Sanjar al-Jawli.
Campaign against Bedouin of Upper Egypt In 1303 Salar and Baybars led a large scale military campaign against the Bedouin tribes of
Upper Egypt for their persistent defiance of Mamluk authority. The Bedouin had long evaded taxes, taxed the merchants of
Asyut and
Manfalut, and ignored the orders of the local governors. The Bedouin were taken by surprise and numerous tribesmen were slain or taken captive. Despite the heavy toll inflicted, the tribal revolts remained a persistent problem throughout Mamluk rule.
Confrontation with the sultan In late 1307 or early 1308, al-Nasir Muhammad and his Royal Mamluks attempted to assassinate Salar and Baybars in their homes. The emirs' gained knowledge of the plot and secured the secret defection of the sultan's leading hitman, the emir Baktamur. Salar then sent his brother Samuk to besiege the sultan and his mamluks, eventually compelling al-Nasir Muhammad to reach an agreement with Salar. The sultan remained in Cairo but with heavy restrictions on his movements and budget. As a result, he escaped to the desert fortress of
al-Karak in
Transjordan in 1309 where he renounced his sultanate. In the consultations among the senior emirs to elect a new sultan, Salar was initially the leading candidate, having served as viceroy for the preceding decade and having the support of the older Mansuri emirs. Nonetheless, the stronger Burjiyya faction favored Baybars for the sultanate, and Salar lent his backing. In the ensuing reign of Baybars, Salar remained viceroy. ==Downfall==