Saladin

The Wise
?á
ala? ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub

Sultan of Egypt and Syria

Artistic representation of Saladin

Reign 1174–1193

Coronation 1174

Full name ?áala2?2ad-Di2

n Yu2
suf ibn Ayyu2
b

Born c. 1137–1138

Birthplace Tikrit, Iraq

Died March 4 1193 CE

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 Place of death Damascus, Syria

Buried Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria

Predecessor Nur ad-Din

Successor Al-?® z ?®
Azi® Uthma®
n

Dynasty Ayyubid

Father Najm ad-DiU

n AyyuU
b

Salah al-DiDn Yusuf ibn Ayyub (Arabic: ?D?D ??D

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Selah'edînê Eyubî ) (born, Tikrit, Iraq c. 1138, died March 4, 1193), better known as Saladin in
medieval Europe, was a Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He was a Kurdish Muslim and led the Islamic
opposition to the Third Crusade.

At the height of his power, the Ayyubid dynasty he founded, ruled over Egypt, Syria, Iraq,
Hejaz, and Yemen. He led Muslim resistance to the European Crusaders and eventually
recaptured Palestine from the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. As such, he is a notable figure in
Arab, Kurdish, and Muslim culture.

Saladin was a strict practitioner of Sunni Islam. He did not maim, kill or retaliate against those
whom he defeated, with the notable exception of certain events following the Battle of Hattin.
His generally chivalrous behaviour was noted by Christian chroniclers, especially in the accounts
of the siege of Krak in Moab.

Early life
Saladin, born Yuô suf ?ôalaô?ôad-Diô
n ibn Ayyuô
b in 1138 from a predominantly Kurdish background
and ancestry. His family lived in Tikrit, Iraq where he was born during the Islamic world's
Golden Age. His father, Najm ad-Di•n Ayyu•b, was banned from Tikrit and moved to Mosul
where he met Imaâd ad-Din Zengi, the Turkish atabeg or regent of Mosul at the time who was
also the founder of the Zengid dynasty, who was leading Muslim forces against the Crusaders in
Edessa.[citation needed] Ima†d ad-Din Zengi appointed Najm ad-Din as the commander of his fortress
in Baalbek. After the death of ImaØ d ad-Din Zengi in 1146, his son, NuØ
r ad-DiØn, became the
regent of Mosul. Saladin received his name from Nu*r ad-Di* n and was sent to Damascus to
continue his education and this was where he also completed his educational studies. Several
sources claim that during his studies he was more interested in religion than joining the military.
Another factor which may have affected his interest in religion was that during the First Crusade

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 Jerusalem was taken by force from the Christians by surprise when the Islamic world had done
nothing to start the offensive. The Muslim culture and the city was pillaged and much of their
culture lay in ruins for at least one hundred and four years. Saladin later rebelled against the
Christian-held Jerusalem and won back the city. Islam: Empire of Faith, a documentary made
by PBS in 2000, explores the impact the Islamic world had on Medieval Europe and the Western
world today which documents his capture of the city and his rise as a hero of the Islamic world,
and the fear he caused in Medieval Europe with his revolt.

Muslim leader
Sultan of Egypt

"Saladin, king of Egypt" from a fifteenth century illuminated manuscript; the "globus" in his left
hand is a European symbol of kingly power

His career in the military began when his uncle Asad al-Din Shirkuh, or simply named Shirkuh,
started training him, Shirkuh was an important military commander under the emir NuÍr al-DiÍn,
who was the son and successor of Zangiö.During three military expeditions led by Shiörkuö h into
Egypt to prevent its falling to the Latin Christian Crusaders who already ruled Jerusalem.
Amalric I, the king of Jerusalem; Sha< war, the powerful vizier of the Egyptian Fa< ?imid
< caliph;
and Shibrkubh formed a struggle. After Shibrkubh's death and after ordering Shabwar's assassination,
Saladin, in 1169 was appointed both commander of the Syrian troops in Egypt and vizier of the
FaP?imid
P caliph there. Saladin was only 31 when he received the position in the military and tried
to finish much of his uncle's work. His relatively quick rise to power was due to the fact he had
come from Kurdish cultural background and is cited as having many talents including being an
effective and efficient military leader. He became from then onwards a Sultan of Egypt and his
clear demonstration of being an efficient leader quickly built up his reputation of a great leader,
although he had received the title of king, many had referred to him as the Sultan of Egypt. The
founding of the Ayyubid dynasty and restoring Sunni Islam in Egypt is all credited to Saladin.
He expanded his territory westwards in the Maghreb and when his uncle was sent up the Nile to
pacify some resistance of the former Fatimid supporters, he continued on down the Red Sea to
conquer Yemen.

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 Saladin's position was further enhanced when, in 1171, he abolished the ineffective Shi-?-ite
?imid
Fa> > caliphate, and lead a return to Sunni Islam in Egypt. When the caliph died in 1171,
Saladin had the ?®ulama®' pronounce the name of al-Mustadi, the Sunni - and, more importantly,
Abbassid - caliph in Baghdad at sermon before Friday prayers; by their authority, they simply
deposed the old line. Saladin ruled Egypt, but officially as the representative of the Turkish
Seljuk ruler Nuir ad-Diin , who himself conventionally recognized the Abbassid caliph. Although
he remained for a time a vassal of Nuþr al-Diþn, the relationship he had had ended with the Syrian's
death in 1174. Saladin quickly used the emir's rich agricultural possessions in Egypt as a
financial base, Saladin soon moved into Syria bringing with him a strictly disciplined army to
claim the regency on behalf of the young son of his former suzerain, however the army he
brought was small. Soon, however, he abandoned this claim, and from 1174 until 1186 he
rigorously pursued a goal of uniting, all the Muslim territories of Syria, northern Iraq, Palestine,
and Egypt. Saladin is credited to have revitalized the economy of Egypt, reorganized the military
forces and, following his father's advice, stayed away from any conflicts with Nur ad-Din, his
formal lord, after he had become the real ruler of Egypt. He waited until Nu¢r ad-Di¢n's death
before starting serious military actions, at first against smaller Muslim states, then directing them
against the Crusaders. Sources such as Encyclopaedia Britannica are quoted as explaining
Saladins techniques in warfare and his attitudes to the conquered:

"This he accomplished by skillful diplomacy backed when necessary by the swift and resolute use
of military force. Gradually his reputation grew as a generous and virtuous but firm ruler,
devoid of pretense, licentiousness, and cruelty. In contrast to the bitter dissension and intense
rivalry that had up to then hampered the Muslims in their resistance to the Crusaders, Saladin's
singleness of purpose induced them to re-arm both physically and spiritually"

Sultan of Syria

On two occasions, in 1170 and 1172, Saladin retreated from an invasion of the Kingdom of
Jerusalem. These had been launched by Nu»r ad-Di»n and Saladin hoped that the Crusader
kingdom would remain intact, as a buffer state between Egypt and Syria, until Saladin could gain
control of Syria as well. Nur ad-Din and Saladin were headed towards open war on these counts
when Nu6r ad-Di6n died in 1174. Nu6r ad-Di6n's heir, as-Salih Ismail al-Malik, was a mere boy in
the hands of court eunuchs, and died in 1181.

Immediately after Nu± r ad-Di±n's death, Saladin marched on Damascus and was welcomed into the
city. He reinforced his legitimacy there in the time-honored way, by marrying Nu-r ad-Di-n's
widow Ismat ad-Din Khatun. Aleppo and Mosul, on the other hand, the two other largest cities
that NuPr ad-DiP
n had ruled, were never taken but Saladin managed to impose his influence and
authority on them in 1176 and 1186 respectively. While he was occupied in besieging Aleppo,
on May 22, 1176, the shadowy Ismaili assassin group, the Hashshashin, attempted to murder
him. They made two attempts on his life, the second time coming close enough to inflict wounds.

While Saladin was consolidating his power in Syria, he usually left the Crusader kingdom alone,
although he was generally victorious whenever he did meet the Crusaders in battle. One
exception was the Battle of Montgisard on November 25, 1177. He was defeated by the

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 combined forces of Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, Raynald of Chatillon and the Knights Templar.
Only one tenth of his army made it back to Egypt.

Crusades
Saladin spent the subsequent year recovering from his defeat and rebuilding his army, renewing
his attacks in 1179 when he defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Jacob's Ford .[9] after which a
truce was declared between Saladin and the Crusader States in 1180.[citation needed] However,
Crusader counter-attacks provoked further responses by Saladin. Raynald of Chatillon, in
particular, harassed Muslim trading and pilgrimage routes with a fleet on the Red Sea, a water
route that Saladin needed to keep open. In response, Saladin built a fleet of 30 galleys to attack
Beirut in 1182. Raynald threatened to attack the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. In retaliation,
Saladin twice besieged Kerak, Raynald's fortress in Oultrejordain, in 1183 and 1184. Raynald
responded by looting a caravan of pilgrims on the Hajj in 1185. According to the later thirteenth
century Old French Continuation of William of Tyre, Raynald captured Saladin's sister in a raid
on a caravan, although this claim is not attested in contemporary sources, Muslim or Frankish,
rather stating that Raynald had attacked a preceding caravan, and Saladin set guards to ensure the
safety of his sister and her son, who came to no harm.

Following the failure of his Kerak sieges, Saladin temporarily turned his attention back to
another long-term project and resumed attacks on the territory of ?Ö
Izz ad-DiÖ
n (Mas?Ö
udÖ ibn
Mawduÿ d ibn Zangi), around Mosul, which he had begun with some success in 1182. However,
since then, Mas?ã udã had allied himself with the powerful governor of Azerbaijan and Jibal, who
in 1185 began moving his troops across the Zagros Mountains, causing Saladin to hesitate in his
attacks. The defenders of Mosul, when they became aware that help was on the way, increased
their efforts, and Saladin subsequently fell ill, so in March 1186 a peace treaty was signed.[10]

In July 1187 Saladin captured most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. On July 4, 1187, he faced at
the Battle of Hattin the combined forces of Guy of Lusignan, King Consort of Jerusalem and
Raymond III of Tripoli. In this battle alone the Crusader army was largely annihilated by the
motivated army of Saladin in what was a major disaster for the Crusaders and a turning point in
the history of the Crusades. Saladin captured Raynald de Chatillon and was personally
responsible for his execution in retaliation for previously attacking Muslim pilgrim caravans.[11]
Guy of Lusignan was also captured but his life was spared.

That night, "with uncharacteristic coldbloodedness", Saladin ordered the execution of the
"hundred or so" Templar and Hospitaller knights among the prisoners.[12] Because of their
religious "devotion and rigorous training", they were the "most feared" of the Christian
soldiers.[12] Seated on a dais before his army, Saladin watched as "the band of scholars, sufis and
ascetics... carried out the ceremonial killing".[12]

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 The statue of Saladin at the entrance of the citadel in Damascus.

Capture of Jerusalem

Saladin had almost captured every Crusader city. Jerusalem capitulated to his forces on October
2, 1187 after a siege. Before the siege, Saladin had offered generous terms of surrender, which
were rejected. After the siege had started, he was unwilling to promise terms of quarter to the
European occupants of Jerusalem until Balian of Ibelin threatened to kill every Muslim hostage,
estimated at 5000, and to destroy Islam’s holy shrines of the Dome of the Rock and the al-Aqsa
Mosque if quarter was not given. Saladin consulted his council and these terms were accepted.
Ransom was to be paid for each Frank in the city whether man, woman or child. Saladin allowed
many to leave without having the required amount for ransom for others.[13][14]

Tyre, on the coast of modern-day Lebanon was the last major Crusader city that was not captured
by Muslim forces (strategically, it would have made more sense for Saladin to capture Tyre
before Jerusalem--however, Saladin chose to pursue Jerusalem first because of the importance of
the city to Islam). The city was now commanded by Conrad of Montferrat, who strengthened
Tyre's defences and withstood two sieges by Saladin. In 1188, at Tortosa, Saladin released Guy
of Lusignan and returned him to his wife, Queen Sibylla of Jerusalem. They went first to Tripoli,
then to Antioch. In 1189, they sought to reclaim Tyre for their kingdom, but were refused
admission by Conrad, who did not recognize Guy as king. Guy then set about besieging Acre.

Third Crusade

Hattin and the fall of Jerusalem prompted the Third Crusade, financed in England by a special
"Saladin tithe". Richard I of England led Guy's siege of Acre, conquered the city and executed
3000 Muslim prisoners including women and children. Saladin retaliated by killing all Franks
captured from August 28 - September 10. Baha‹' ad-Di‹n writes, "Whilst we were there they
brought two Franks to the Sultan (Saladin) who had been made prisoners by the advance guard.
He had them beheaded on the spot."[15]

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 The armies of Saladin engaged in combat with the army of King Richard I of England at the
Battle of Arsuf on September 7, 1191, at which Saladin was defeated. All attempts made by
Richard the Lionheart to re-take Jerusalem failed. However, Saladin's relationship with Richard
was one of chivalrous mutual respect as well as military rivalry. When Richard became ill with
fever, Saladin offered the services of his personal physician. Saladin also sent him fresh fruit
with snow, to chill the drink, as treatment. At Arsuf, when Richard lost his horse, Saladin sent
him two replacements. Richard suggested to Saladin that Palestine, Christian and Muslim, could
be united through the marriage of his sister Joan of England, Queen of Sicily to Saladin's brother,
and that Jerusalem could be their wedding gift.[citation needed] However, the two men never met face
to face and communication was either written or by messenger.

As leaders of their respective factions, the two men came to an agreement in the Treaty of Ramla
in 1192, whereby Jerusalem would remain in Muslim hands but would be open to Christian
pilgrimages. The treaty reduced the Latin Kingdom to a strip along the coast from Tyre to Jaffa.
This treaty was supposed to last three years.

Death

The tomb of sultan Saladin near the northwestern corner of the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus,
Syria.

View of the interior of the tomb of Sultan Saladin

Saladin died of a fever on March 4, 1193, at Damascus, not long after Richard's departure. When
they opened Saladin's treasury they found there was not enough money to pay for his funeral. He
had given most of his money away in charity.[16]

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 Saladin is buried in a mausoleum in the garden outside the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus,
Syria. Emperor Wilhelm II of Germany donated a new marble sarcophagus to the mausoleum.
Saladin was, however, not placed in it. Instead the mausoleum, which is open to visitors, now
has two sarcophagi: one empty in marble and one in wood containing the body of Saladin.

Recognition

Saladin depicted on a Dirham coin (c. 1190)

Despite his fierce struggle against the crusades, Saladin achieved a great reputation in Europe as
a chivalrous knight, so much so that there existed by the fourteenth century an epic poem about
his exploits, and Dante included him among the virtuous pagan souls in Limbo. Saladin appears
in a sympathetic light in Sir Walter Scott's The Talisman (1825). Despite the Crusaders' slaughter
when they originally conquered Jerusalem in 1099, Saladin granted amnesty and free passage to
all common Catholics and even to the defeated Christian army, as long as they were able to pay
the aforementioned ransom (the Greek Orthodox Christians were treated even better, because
they often opposed the western Crusaders). An interesting view of Saladin and the world in
which he lived is provided by Tariq Ali's novel The Book of Saladin.[17]

Notwithstanding the differences in beliefs, the Muslim Saladin was respected by Christian lords,
Richard especially. Richard once praised Saladin as a great prince, saying that he was without
doubt the greatest and most powerful leader in the Islamic world.[18] Saladin in turn stated that
there was not a more honorable Christian lord than Richard. After the treaty, Saladin and Richard
sent each other many gifts as tokens of respect, but never met face to face.

In April 1191, a Frankish woman's three month old baby had been stolen from her camp and had
been sold on the market. The Franks urged her to approach Saladin herself with her grievance.
After Saladin used his own money to buy the child, "he gave it to the mother and she took it;
with tears streaming down her face, and hugged it to her breast. The people were watching her
and weeping and I (Ibn Shaddad) was standing amongst them. She suckled it for some time and
then Saladin ordered a horse to be fetched for her and she went back to camp."[19]

The name ?ùalaù?ùad-Diùn means "Righteousness of Faith," and through the ages Saladin has been
an inspiration for Muslims in many respects. Modern Muslim rulers have sought to
commemorate Saladin through various measures. A governorate centered around Tikrit and

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 Samarra in modern-day Iraq, Salah ad Din Governorate, is named after him, as is Salahaddin
University in Arbil. A suburb community of Arbil, Masif Salahaddin, is also named after him.

Few structures associated with Saladin survive within modern cities. Saladin first fortified the
Citadel of Cairo (1175 - 1183), which had been a domed pleasure pavilion with a fine view in
more peaceful times. In Syria, even the smallest city is centred on a defensible citadel, and
Saladin introduced this essential feature to Egypt.

Among the forts he built was Qalaat al-Gindi, a mountaintop fortress and caravanserai in the
Sinai. The fortress overlooks a large wadi which was the convergence of several caravan routes
that linked Egypt and the Middle East. Inside the structure are a number of large vaulted rooms
hewn out of rock, including the remains of shops and a water cistern. A notable archaeological
site, it was investigated in 1909 by a French team under Jules Barthoux.[20]

According to the French writer René Grousset,

"It is equally true that his generosity, his piety, devoid of fanaticism, that flower of liberality and
courtesy which had been the model of our old chroniclers, won him no less popularity in
Frankish Syria than in the lands of Islam".[21]

When German Kaiser Wilhelm the Second went to Syria he laid a wreath at the tomb of Saladin
in Damascus with the inscription,

"A Knight without fear or blame who often had to teach his opponents the right way to practice
chivalry".[21]

Legacy
The Ayyubid dynasty he founded continued fifty-seven years after his death. The legacy of
Saladin within the Arab World continues to this day. With the rise of Arab nationalism in the
Twentieth Century, particularly with regard to the Arab-Israeli conflict, Saladin's heroism and
leadership gained a new significance. The glory and comparative unity of the Arab World under
Saladin was seen as the perfect symbol for the new unity sought by Arab nationalists, such as
Gamal Abdel Nasser. For this reason, the Eagle of Saladin became the symbol of revolutionary
Egypt, and was subsequently adopted by several other Arab states (Iraq, Palestine, and Yemen).

The Eagle of Saladin as The Eagle of Saladin as The Eagle of Saladin The Eagle of Saladin as
it appears in the it appears in the as it appears in the it appeared in the South

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 Egyptian coat of arms Palestinian coat of arms Iraqi coat of arms Yemen coat of arms

Saladin in Popular Culture

In 1963 an Egyptian movie about Saladin directed by Youssef Chahine was released, titled Al
Nasser Salah Ad-Din. In the 1965 Doctor Who serial The Crusade he was played by Bernard
Kay. 2005's Kingdom of Heaven, directed by Ridley Scott, has Saladin portrayed by Syrian actor
Ghassan Massoud. In the 2007 Swedish film Arn – The Knight Templar (Arn – Tempelriddaren),
Saladin is portrayed by British-Indian actor and supermodel Milind Soman.

A campaign of Saladin is featured on Age of Empires II: Age of Kings.

References
• BAHA AD-DIN IBN SHADDAD (trans. Richards, D.S.) (2002). The Rare and Excellent
History of Saladin. Ashgate. ISBN 978-0-7546-3381-6
• BOWMAN, ALAN K. (1986). Egypt After the Pharaohs.
• GABRIELI, FRANCESCO (trans. Costello, E.J.) (1984). Arab Historians of the Crusades.
Routledge & Kegan Paul. ISBN 978-0-710-20235-2
• GIBB, H. A. R. (1973). The Life of Saladin: From the Works of Imad ad-Din and Baha ad-
Din. Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-86356-928-9
• GILLINGHAM, JOHN (1999). "Richard I", Yale English Monarchs, Yale University Press.
• GROUSSET, RENE (1970). The Epic of the Crusades. New York: Orion Press.
• HINDLEY, GEOFFREY (2007). Saladin: Hero of Islam. Pen & Sword. ISBN 1-84415-499-8
• IMAD AD-DIN AL-ISFAHANI (ed. Landberg, C.). (1888). Conquête de la Syrie et de la
Palestine par Salâh ed-dîn. Brill.
• LANE-POOLE, STANLEY. (1898). Saladin and the Fall of the Kingdom of Jerusalem,
Putnam.
• LYONS, M. C. & JACKSON, D. E. P. (1982) Saladin: the Politics of the Holy War.
Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-31739-9
• M INORSKY, V. (1957). Studies in Caucasian history, Cambridge University Press.
• RESTON, JAMES (2001). Warriors of God: Richard the Lionhearted and Saladin in the
Third Crusade. New York: Anchor Books. ISBN 0-385-49562-5
• RUNCIMAN, STEVEN. A History of the Crusades: Volume 2, The Kingdom of Jerusalem
and the Frankish East. Cambridge University Press.
• SHAHNAZ HUSAIN (1998) Muslim heroes of the Crusades ISBN 1-8979-4071-8

External links
• Saladin
• Richard and Saladin: Warriors of the Third Crusade
• De expugnatione terrae sanctae per Saladinum A European account of Saladin's
conquests of the Crusader states. (Latin)

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