Shirkuh

Shirkuh was a Kurdish Zengid general and the uncle of Saladin who played a decisive role in the struggle for Egypt during the 1160s. Serving Nur ad-Din of Syria, he led several expeditions into Egypt against rival Fatimid and Crusader interests, eventually becoming vizier in Cairo shortly before his death in 1169.

In Gates of Empire, Howard places Shirkuh among the central historical actors in the contest for Cairo. Howard dramatizes the politics of Egypt, but Shirkuh’s rivalry with Amalric and his decisive role in the final years of Fatimid power are historically well founded.

In Robert E. Howard’s Gates of Empire, Gates of Empire is set against the crusader intervention in Egypt, when King Amalric of Jerusalem and Shirkuh competed for influence in the weakening Fatimid state.