Two years later, Nur ed-Din formulated a plan to punish the rebellious Shawir.  Persecuted by Shirkuh, Nur ed-Din sent him with his army into Egypt.  The Franks now joined with Shawir to defend the country, hoping thereby to baffle the schemes of Nur ed-Din.  The Christian army was amazed at all the splendour of the caliph’s palace at Cairo.  Shawir retreated to entice the invaders on, who, advancing beyond their base, were soon reduced to straits.  Shirkuh then tried to come to terms with Shawir against the Christians as a common foe, but without success.  He next thought of retreating, without fighting, with all his Egyptian plunder.  Persuaded at length to fight, he defeated the Franks and finally came to terms with Shawir, whereby the Franco-Egyptian alliance came to an end, and he then left Egypt on receiving an indemnity, Shawir still remaining its ruler.

[Illustration:  015.jpg gate of el FUTUH at Cairo]

The peace, however, did not last long, and Nur ed-Din sent Shirkuh again with many Frankish free-lancers against the ill-fated country.  On the approach of the army towards Cairo, the vizier set fire to the ancient city of Fostat, to prevent it from falling into the hands of the invaders, and it burned continually for fifty days.  El-Adid now sought aid of Nur ed-Din, who, actuated by zeal against the Franks, and by desire of conquest, once more despatched Shirkuh.  In the meantime negotiations had been opened with Amaury to raise the siege of Cairo on payment of an enormous sum of money.  But, before these conditions had been fulfilled, the approach of the Syrian army induced Amaury to retreat in haste.  Shirkuh and Saladin entered the capital in great state, and were received with honour by the caliph, and with obsequiousness by Shawir, who was contriving a plot which was fortunately discovered, and for which he paid with his life.  Shirkuh was then appointed vizier by El-Adid, but, dying very shortly, he was succeeded in that dignity by his nephew Saladin (A.D. 1169).

Saladin inaugurated his reign with a series of brilliant successes.  Egypt once again took an important place among the nations, and by the wars of Saladin it became the nucleus of a great empire.  Military glory was never the sole aim of Saladin and his successors.  They continued to extend to letters and the arts their willing patronage, and the beneficial effects of this were felt upon the civilisation of the country.  Though ruler of Egypt, Saladin gained his greatest renown by his campaigns against the Crusaders in Syria.  The inability of Nur ed-Din’s son, El-Malik es-Salih Ismail, to govern the Syrian dominions became an excuse for Saladin’s occupation of Syria as guardian of the young prince, and, once having assumed this function, he remained in fact the master of Syria.  He continued to consolidate his power in these parts until the Crusaders, under Philip, Count of Flanders, laid siege to Antioch.  Saladin now went out to