Shaizar

Shaizar or Shayzar (

Shaizar is located at a strategically vital crossing point on the Orontes River, 28 km to the northwest of Hama.^[2]

Name evolution

In the Amarna letters (14th century BC) it is mentioned as Senzar or Sezar.

To the

It reverted to its earlier name under the Roman Empire and was known as Sezer under the Byzantine Empire.

The Crusaders rendered the city's name in Latin as Caesarea. This name had not been used in any earlier period, and was derived from the Crusaders mistakenly identifying this city as being

Shaizar is mentioned as Senzar or Sezar in the Amarna letters (14th century BC).

Hellenistic period

Diodorus Siculus (first century BC) records local legends attributing the establishment of the town by one of Alexander's cavalry regiments originating from Thessaly.^[2] The town was renamed Larissa Sizara, Larissa being the town in Thessaly from which many Greek settlers came.^[3]

Roman period

The Roman armies led by Pompey conquered Syria in 64 BC.

Syria was briefly occupied by Republican-Parthian forces under the Parthian prince Pacorus I.

Byzantine and Early Arab periods

The city remained part of the Christianised empire, known as the Byzantine Empire, under the name of Sezer.^{[citation needed]}

Shaizar fell to the

It was lost to the Banu Munqidh in 1081 when Ali ibn Munqidh bought it from the bishop. The Byzantines besieged it numerous times after this but failed to recover it.^{[citation needed]}

Crusaders

The Franks arrived in Syria in 1098 during the First Crusade. The interaction between the Crusader states and the Banu Munqidh rulers of Shaizar consisted of a series of wars and alliances.^{[citation needed]}

Munqidhite Shaizar (1081–1157)

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During the First Crusade, the emir assisted the Crusaders passing through his land, giving them horses and food and other provisions. After the crusade it was bordered by the crusader Principality of Antioch and was subject to raids from both Antioch and the County of Tripoli.^{[citation needed]}

When the Crusaders briefly conquered

The emirate lasted until the enormous earthquake of 1157, during which the citadel collapsed, killing almost the entire family, who had assembled there to celebrate a circumcision. The only survivors out of the whole family were the wife of emir, and the emir's nephew Usama ibn Munqidh, the famed poet-knight who was on a diplomatic mission to Damascus.

Description of the city

Referring to the crusader siege of Shaizar in 1157,^[4] William of Tyre writes:

"The city of Shayzar lies upon the same Orontes river which flows by

patriarchate of Antioch. It is very conveniently situated. The lower part extends along the plain, while upon the heights of the upper part is the citadel, fairly long in extent but rather narrow. It is well fortified, for in addition to its natural defenses, the river protects it on one side and the city on the other, so that it is entirely inaccessible."^[5]

Fulcher of Chartres, an eyewitness to the siege in 1111, did not know the classical Roman or Greek name for the site, and noted that the Turks called it "Sisara", "but the inhabitants of the country commonly call it 'Chezar'."^[6]

Life in the city

Regarding the citizens, William of Tyre says they "had but little knowledge of arms; their attention was devoted almost entirely to trading." Many of them were Christians, whom William considered to be suffering as slaves under their Muslim rulers, but the Munqidhites seem to have been tolerant lords and both Christians and Muslims of various sects lived there peacefully.^[5]

A very lively account of life in Shaizar, and various other places in the Muslim world, was written by the prince Usama ibn Munqidh, titled Kitab al-I'tibar, and gives great insight into Muslim life in the 12th century.

The Munqidhite emirs are shown as patrons of literature, who delight in hunting and other sports, as well as delighting in making war on, and negotiating peace with, their Christian and Muslim neighbours.

Munqidh emirs of Shaizar

Shaizar was ruler by the Banu Munquid from 1059–1157. The emirs were:

• Sultan ibn 'Ali ibn al-Muqallad ibn Munqidh al-Kinani (1059–1081)
• 'Izz ad-Dawla Sadid al-Mulk ibn Munqidh (1081–1082)
• 'Izz ad-Dawla abu-l-Murhaf Nasr ibn Munqidh (1082–1098)
• Majd ad-Din abu Salamah Murshid ibn 'Izz ad-Dawla ibn Munqidh (1098–1137; the Latin Machedolus, father of Usama ibn Munqidh)
• 'Izz ad-Din abu-l-'Asakir Sultan ibn 'Izz ad-Dawla ibn Munqidh (1098–1154)
• Taj ad-Dawla Nasr ad-Din Muhammad ibn abu-l-Asakir ibn Munqidh (1154–1157).

Usama ibn Munqidh

Usama ibn Munqidh was a medieval Muslim poet, author, faris (knight), and diplomat from the Banu Munqidh dynasty of Shaizar in northern Syria. His life coincided with the rise of several medieval Muslim dynasties, the arrival of the First Crusade, and the establishment of the Crusader states. He was born in Shaizar, Şeyzer. He was the nephew and potential successor of the emir of Shaizar, but was exiled in 1131 and spent the rest of his life serving other leaders. He was a courtier to the

During and immediately after his life, he was most famous as a poet and adib (a "man of letters"). He wrote many poetry anthologies, such as the Kitab al-'Asa ("Book of the Staff"), Lubab al-Adab ("Kernels of Refinement"), and al-Manazil wa'l-Diyar ("Dwellings and Abodes"), and collections of his own original poetry. In modern times, he is remembered more for his Kitab al-I'tibar ("Book of Learning by Example" or "Book of Contemplation"), which contains lengthy descriptions of the Crusaders, whom he interacted with on many occasions, and some of whom he considered friends.

Most of his family was killed in an earthquake at Shaizar in 1157. He died in Damascus in 1188, at the age of 93.

Assassin, Zengid and Mamluk periods (1158–1260)

The

Modern period

The citadel (castle) was declared a national monument in 1958 and the last inhabitants were evacuated to prevent archaeological damage. Today the site is known as Qal’at Shayzar (citadel or castle of Shayzar), while the name Shaizar (or Shayzar) is used for the modern town.^[7]

See also

• Battle of Shaizar (1111)
• Siege of Shaizar (1138)
• Qalaat al-Madiq

References

Sources

• Baldwin, Marsall W. (1969) [1955]. "The Latin States under Baldwin III and Amalric I, 1143–1174; The Decline and Fall of Jerusalem, 1174–1189". In
  ISBN 0-299-04834-9
  .
• Steven Runciman, A History of the Crusades, vol. II: The Kingdom of Jerusalem. Cambridge University Press, 1952
• The Damascus Chronicle of the Crusades, Extracted and Translated from the Chronicle of Ibn al-Qalanisi. H.A.R. Gibb, 1932 (reprint, Dover Publications, 2002)
• William of Tyre, A History of Deeds Done Beyond the Sea, trans. E.A. Babcock and A.C. Krey. Columbia University Press, 1943
• Philip K. Hitti, trans., An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades; Memoirs of Usamah ibn-Munqidh (Kitab al i'tibar). New York, 1929
• Fulcher of Chartres, A History of the Expedition to Jerusalem, trans. Frances Rita Ryan. University of Tennessee Press, 1969
• Usama ibn Munqidh, and Philip K. Hitti. An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades: Memoirs of Usāmah Ibn-Munqidh (kitāb Al-Iʻtibār). New York: Columbia University Press, 2000.
• Cobb, Paul M. (2005). Usama ibn Munqidh: Warrior-Poet in the Age of Crusades. Oxford: Oneworld.
• Kennedy, Hugh N. (2012). "Shayzar: An Historical Overview of its History and the Archaeological Investigation: 1.1. An Historical Overview". In Tonghini, Cristina (ed.). Shayzar I: The Fortification of the Citadel. Leiden: Brill. pp. 2–25.
• Maalouf, Amin, and Jon Rothschild. The Crusades Through Arab Eyes. London: Al Saqi Books, 2004.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Shaizar.

• Shaizar on www.cometosyria.com
• Apamea and the citadels of Mudiq and Shaizar, from Syriatourism.org
• Timeline and images
• Proghetto Shayzar: Study of a Fortified Settlement in Bilad al-Sham