Salahadin's army

[Aqtai]

Originally Posted by M.carter

Most of the Ummayads armies were from syria, since Muawiya's time. All the troops that beseiged constantinople in Muawiya's reign were from damascus. There certainly were some bedouin tribes left to make up an army. Most of the ummayad expansion armies came from the yemeni arabs, the qaysiya, and these tribes also were stationed in the hammad (syrian desert) and in large numbers during saladin's time, waiting to be recruited for another great fight!

Muawiyya was an Arab, I have no doubt that other Arabs would have been happy to follow him, Salaheddin was not an Arab. The military displacement of Arabs however started in the Abbassid period when the Abbassids recruited first Khurasanis, then Daylamis and Turkish mamluks into their armies.

With regards to the bedouins, there were bedouins in Salaheddin's Army, and their numbers swelled when a campaign was on. But they were never the core of his standing army, their first loyalty was always to their tribes. They would not have wanted to live permanently in damascus (when not on campaign) having to take orders from someone who was not of their tribe or clan.

[M.carter]

Originally Posted by Aqtai

Muawiyya was an Arab, I have no doubt that other Arabs would have been happy to follow him, Salaheddin was not an Arab. The military displacement of Arabs however started in the Abbassid period when the Abbassids recruited first Khurasanis, then Daylamis and Turkish mamluks into their armies.

With regards to the bedouins, there were bedouins in Salaheddin's Army, and their numbers swelled when a campaign was on. But they were never the core of his standing army, their first loyalty was always to their tribes. They would not have wanted to live permanently in damascus (when not on campaign) having to take orders from someone who was not of their tribe or clan.

I fully agree with what you are saying here.