emirate · Anatolia and the Levant
Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa
Origins
In 1232 the Ayyubid sultan al-Kamil took Hisn Kayfa and Amid from the Artuqids of Hasankeyf and gave them to his son al-Salih Ayyub. When al-Salih Ayyub went on to Egypt, a junior line of the family remained in Hasankeyf.
Rule and society
Al-Salih Ayyub's son Turanshah left Hasankeyf in 1249 to take the throne in Egypt and was murdered by the Mamluks in 1250. The princes who stayed survived as vassals of the Mongols, the Ilkhanids, the Qara Qoyunlu and the Aq Qoyunlu. They built in Hasankeyf, including the El Rizk mosque of al-Adil Sulayman in 1409, and ruled a mixed Kurdish, Arab and Christian population.
Decline and legacy
The dynasty was ended in the early 16th century as the Ottomans took over the region from the Safavids, its last princes being absorbed into the Ottoman system. Much of Hasankeyf was flooded by the Ilisu Dam in 2020.
Lineage
On the connections map
Open the full map →Connections (3)
- Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa was a vassal of Ilkhanate1260 CE – 1335 CE
- Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa was a vassal of Aq Qoyunlu1462 CE – 1482 CE
- Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa was conquered by Safavid Empire1524 CE
More states of Anatolia and the Levant →
Cite this page
- APA
- The Epoch Institute. (2026). Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ayyubids-of-hisn-kayfa
- MLA
- “Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ayyubids-of-hisn-kayfa. Accessed .
- Chicago
- The Epoch Institute. “Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ayyubids-of-hisn-kayfa.
- Harvard
- The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Ayyubids of Hisn Kayfa’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/ayyubids-of-hisn-kayfa (Accessed: ).
Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻