1. Al-Ashraf Khalil was well known for conquering the last of the Crusader states in Palestine after the siege of Acre in 1291.
33 Facts About Al-Ashraf Khalil
1. 2.
Al-Ashraf Khalil had three brothers, as-Salih Ali, an-Nasir Muhammad and Ahmad, and two sisters.
3.
In 1284, Al-Ashraf Khalil married Ardukin, the daughter of Sayf ad-Din Nukih ibn Bayan, a Mongol emir of Qalawun.
4.
Al-Ashraf Khalil had two daughters with Ardukin, who are unnamed in the Mamluk sources.
5.
Al-Ashraf Khalil prevented Qalawun's burial for two months, either as a precaution to ensure his smooth succession or to wait until Qalawun's mausoleum was completed.
6.
The Mansuriyya were the most powerful mamluk regiment in the sultanate and al-Ashraf Khalil sought to co-opt them.
7.
Al-Ashraf Khalil was briefly replaced by Emir Sanjar al-Shuja'i al-Mansuri until the latter was dispatched to Damascus and replaced by Emir Baydara.
8.
Al-Ashraf Khalil made Baydara na'ib as-saltana and atabeg al-asakir.
9.
Al-Ashraf Khalil ordered the execution of the remaining defenders and inhabitants.
10.
Al-Ashraf Khalil entered the decorated city of Damascus with Franks chained at the feet and the captured crusader standards which were carried upside-down as a sign of their defeat.
11.
In 1292, Al-Ashraf Khalil accompanied by his vizier Ibn al-Sal'us arrived in Damascus and then travelled via Aleppo to besiege the castle of Qal'at ar-Rum and was known as Hromgla in Armenian.
12.
Qal'at ar-Rum, which was the seat of the Patriarch of Armenia, was besieged by more than 30 catapults and was captured after 30 days by Al-Ashraf Khalil, who renamed it Qal'at al-Muslimin.
13.
Al-Ashraf Khalil left Emir al-Shuja'i at the castle and returned to Damascus with prisoners.
14.
The Egyptian Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil was known for his temper, so he sent a letter full of threats and promises to the Makurian king, a letter that struck terror in Samamoun's heart to the point that he described his country as being ruled by women.
15.
However, these words did not fool Sultan Al-Ashraf Khalil, who went on to order the movement of the Egyptian army under the leadership of emir Izz al-Din al-Afram, who moved from Cairo and arrived in Makuria and won a decisive victory over the Makurian forces.
16.
Al-Ashraf Khalil entered the capital, Dongola, and plundered it completely.
17.
Sultan al-Ashraf Khalil was very mad and was determined and told them that the Venetian prisoners will not be released except when the Egyptian sailors and merchants return.
18.
Al-Ashraf Khalil, who was known for his extreme pride and temper, ordered immediately to prepare and build 100 huge warships to invade all of Cyprus.
19.
Al-Ashraf Khalil preferred to oversee the construction of these ships himself, and every now and then he would visit the ports and repeat the same sentence, with anger in his face:.
20.
Al-Ashraf Khalil immediately responded to them, while smiling and said:.
21.
Al-Ashraf Khalil took them out to where he had dropped them off and immediately wrote to the deputies of the Levant to prepare the accommodation and to get the soldiers ready to cross the Euphrates River and invade Baghdad.
22.
Al-Ashraf Khalil presented to the princes and soldiers of Egypt to put on the war machine and come to Salah al-Din Square.
23.
Al-Ashraf Khalil entered the field, followed by the princes, one by one, with the latest war machines on them, and each of them carrying a spear on their robes.
24.
Al-Ashraf Khalil summoned the Mongol messengers and said to them:.
25.
Al-Ashraf Khalil once stated that he has plans of invading Constantinople, Persia and Iraq:.
26.
Militarily, Al-Ashraf Khalil possessed the vigor and capability of two of his predecessors, Baibars and his father Qalawun.
27.
Al-Ashraf Khalil started his reign by executing and imprisoning a few prominent Emirs of his father, among them the vice-Sultan Turuntay.
28.
Al-Ashraf Khalil continued his father's policy of replacing Turkish Mamluks with Circassians, a policy which contributed in the intensification of the rivalry among the Mamluks.
29.
Al-Ashraf Khalil sent Ibn Al-Salus to the nearby city of Alexandria to bring materials and to collect the taxes.
30.
On receiving a message from Ibn Al-Salus with this news, Al-Ashraf Khalil summoned Baydara to his Dihlis and insulted and threatened him in the presence of other Emirs.
31.
The Emirs who were involved in the assassination of Al-Ashraf Khalil were severely punished and executed.
32.
Al-Ashraf Khalil was buried in a mausoleum attached to a madrasa that he commissioned and built in 1288.
33.
Coins of al-Ashraf Khalil were unique in Mamluk coinage history.