 Political power was concentrated in the Ayyubid household which was not necessarily characterized only by blood relation ; slaves and intimates could acquire great , and even supreme power within it . It was a common occurrence for the mothers of young Ayyubid rulers to act as independent powers or in a few cases , rulers in their own right . Eunuchs exercised substantial power under the Ayyubids , serving as attendants and <unk> within the household or as emirs , governors , and army commanders outside the household . One of Saladin 's most important supporters was the eunuch Baha ad @-@ Din ibn Shaddad who helped him depose the Fatimids , dispossess their properties , and construct the wall of Cairo 's citadel . Following the death of al @-@ Aziz Uthman , he became the regent of his son al @-@ Mansur and effectively ruled over Egypt for a short time before the arrival of al @-@ Adil . Later sultans appointed eunuchs as deputy sultans and even awarded them sovereignty over certain cities , such as Shams al @-@ Din <unk> who was given the Jaziran cities of Amid and Diyar Bakr in 1239 . 
