His military and diplomatic efforts in Egypt were a key factor in establishing the Ayyubid dynasty in that country.

In Latin, his name was rendered as "Siraconus"; William of Tyre, referring to the expedition of 1163, describes him as: an able and energetic warrior, eager for glory and of wide experience in military affairs.

He was a man of great endurance under hardships, one who bore hunger and thirst with an equanimity quite unusual for that time of life.

He was the son of Shadhi ibn Marwan, a Kurdish chief,[5] and the brother of Najm ad-Din Ayyub, the ancestor of the Ayyubid dynasty.

In 1163 Nur ad-Din was asked by Shawar to intervene in Egypt in a dispute between him and Dirgham over the Fatimid vizierate.

Shirkuh was invited back into Egypt by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Adid in 1167, to help defeat the Crusaders who were attacking Cairo.

A number of historians have offered the view that Shirkuh's death was an important factor in allowing Saladin to consolidate his position as Sultan and as undisputed head of the Ayyubid family.