 In late 1172 , Aswan was besieged by former Fatimid soldiers from Nubia and the governor of the city , Kanz al @-@ Dawla — a former Fatimid loyalist — requested reinforcements from Saladin who complied . The reinforcements had come after the Nubians had already departed Aswan , but Ayyubid forces led by Turan @-@ Shah advanced and conquered northern Nubia after capturing the town of Ibrim . Turan @-@ Shah and his Kurdish soldiers temporarily lodged there . From Ibrim , they raided the surrounding region , halting their operations after being presented with an armistice proposal from the Dongola @-@ based Nubian king . Although Turan @-@ Shah 's initial response was hawkish , he later sent an envoy to Dongola , who upon returning , described the poverty of the city and of Nubia in general to Turan @-@ Shah . Consequently , the Ayyubids , like their Fatimid predecessors , were discouraged from further southward expansion into Nubia due to the poverty of the region , but required Nubia to guarantee the protection of Aswan and Upper Egypt . The Ayyubid garrison in Ibrim withdrew to Egypt in 1175 . 
