al-Ashraf's attack (March–May) In March 1229, al-Ashraf marched up to the walls of Damascus. He had under his command his personal troops, a contingent from
Aleppo, the army of
Homs and troops of
al-Ṣāliḥ Ismāʿīl and
al-Mughīth Maḥmūd. He was not equipped for an assault or a siege and probably intended only to pen up al-Nāṣir Dāʾūd. He cut off the two streams that supplied the city with water, but a sally by the garrison supported by local volunteers restored them. The suburbs of
Qaṣr Ḥajjaj and
Shaghur were burnt in the subsequent fighting. In response to repeated calls for reinforcements from al-Ashraf, al-Kāmil sent 2,000 regular cavalry in two contingents under
Fakhr al-Dīn ibn al-Shaykh and
al-Muẓaffar Maḥmūd. These probably arrived in late March or early April. The troops of Homs loyal to the Emir
al-Mujāhid Shīrkūh thus fought side by side with the pretender to Homs, al-Muẓaffar Maḥmūd. In response to the attack engineered by al-Kāmil, al-Nāṣir Dāʾūd ordered Sibṭ ibn al-Jawzī to preach a sermon in the
Umayyad Mosque denouncing the
treaty of Jaffa finalized in February between the sultan and the Christian emperor
Frederick II. Al-Kāmil probably delayed going to Damascus in person so as to supervise the fulfillment of the treaty. In late April, possibly earlier, he finally march north with the bulk of the army of Egypt.
al-Kāmil's siege (May–June) The Egyptian army arrived on 6 May and al-Kāmil encamped near the mosque of
Qadam. The following day, al-Nāṣir sent two envoys, the
fuqahāʾ Jamāl al-Dīn al-Hasirī and Shams al-Dīn ibn al-Shīrāzī, to the sultan to discuss terms. On 8 May, representatives met for formal negotiations. Al-Kāmil's representative was
ʿImād al-Dīn, brother of Fakhr al-Dīn, while al-Nāṣir was represented by
ʿIzz al-Dīn Aybak. Negotiations soon broke down. On 13 May, there was heavy fighting in the suburb by the
Bāb Tūmā. It was burnt. A week later, al-Nāṣir expelled the refugees from the
Ghūṭa because the city did not have enough provisions for them. By 3 June, the besiegers had completely surrounded the city and controlled all territory up to the walls. Nevertheless, al-Nāṣir launched daily sallies against the enemy front lines without success. During the siege, al-Kāmil launched a strike against
al-Karak, where al-Nāṣir's mother was staying. She ordered a sortie, which scattered the strike force and captured its commanders, two former emirs of al-Muʿaẓẓam.
al-Nāṣir's defence The population of Damascus played an energetic role in its defence. Ibn Wāṣil credits this to their devotion to al-Nāṣir and his late father, al-Muʿaẓẓam. The Damascenes were almost certainly also fighting for the autonomy or independence that only a local dynasty could provide. The local militias that took part in the siege of 1229 are never heard of again. There were two instances of dissension within the city. A small detachment of the Damascene army deserted to the enemy, and al-Nāṣir imprisoned his
kātib (secretary) Fakhr al-Quḍāt and his cousin al-Mukarram on suspicion of conspiring with the enemy. The most serious problem for al-Nāṣir, however, was his lack of money, since his treasury was in al-Karak. He quickly used up his local funds and had to melt down his gold and silver to mint coin. The jewellery and fine clothing of the women of his court he sold, but he did not extort a loan from the merchants of the city. ==Surrender on terms==