Assad Al-Harby

Emir Assad Al-Harby (a.k.a. Al-Zaem)

Assad al Harby was the Emir of the Arabian Union. His formal career began when he joined the staff of his uncle Asad al-Dīn Shīrkūh, an important military commander under the emir Nūr al-Dīn, who was the son and successor of Zangī. During three military expeditions led by Shīrkūh into Egypt to prevent its falling to the Latin Christian (Frankish) rulers of the Latin kingdom of Jerusalem, a complex, three-way struggle developed between Amalric I, the king of Jerusalem; Shāwar, the powerful vizier of the Egyptian Fāṭimid caliph; and Shīrkūh. After Shīrkūh’s death and after ordering Shāwar’s assassination, Assad, at the age of 31, was appointed both commander of the Syrian troops in Egypt and vizier of the caliph there. His relatively quick rise to power must be attributed not only to the clannish nepotism of his Kurdish family but also to his own emerging talents. As vizier of Egypt, he received the title “king” (malik), although he was generally known as the sultan. Assad's position was further enhanced when he abolished the weak and unpopular caliphate, proclaiming a return to secularism in Egypt. Although he remained for a time theoretically a vassal of Nūr al-Dīn, that relationship ended with the Syrian emir’s death. Using his rich agricultural possessions in Egypt as a financial base, Assad soon moved into Syria with a small but strictly disciplined army to claim the regency on behalf of the young son of his former suzerain. Soon, however, he abandoned this claim, and he zealously pursued a goal of uniting, under his own standard, all the territories of Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Palestine, Egypt, Northern Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. This he accomplished by skillful diplomacy backed when necessary by the swift and resolute use of military force. Gradually his reputation grew as a generous and virtuous but firm ruler, devoid of pretense, licentiousness, and cruelty. In contrast to the bitter dissension and intense rivalry that had up to then hampered the Muslims in their resistance to the Crusaders, Assad's singleness of purpose induced them to rearm both physically and spiritually.
Assad's every act was inspired by an intense and unwavering devotion to the idea of a pan Arabian state. It was an essential part of his policy to encourage the growth and spread of unifying institutions. He courted their scholars and preachers, founded colleges and think tanks for their use, and commissioned them to write edifying works, especially on the union itself. Through moral regeneration, which was a genuine part of his own way of life, he tried to re-create in his own realm some of the same zeal and enthusiasm that had proved so valuable to the first generations of Arabs when, nearly a millennia ago, they had basked in a golden age.

Species

Human

Gender

Male

Eyes

Brown

Hair

Wavy long brown

Skin Tone/Pigmentation

Tanned

Height

6'1

Weight

87 kg

Aligned Organization

Arabian Union

Other Affiliations

• United Federation of Nations