Saladin

Saladin (Arabic: صلاح الدين الأيوبي) was a Muslim military commander and ruler of Kurdish origin. He founded the Ayyubid dynasty, which ruled Egypt, the Levant (Syria and Palestine), parts of Iraq, and Yemen. His full name was Yusuf ibn Ayyub.

He was born in Tikrit, in present-day Iraq, around 1137 or 1138. He died in Damascus in 1193 and was buried there.

Rise to power

Saladin served under Nur al-Din Zengi, the ruler of Syria. He came to Egypt in the company of his uncle Shirkuh, leading a military force sent to support the declining Fatimid state. After Shirkuh's death, Saladin became vizier of Egypt. In 1171 he ended Fatimid Shia rule and brought the country under the authority of the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad.

Jerusalem and the Crusades

In 1187 he defeated the Crusader forces at the Battle of Hattin, fought near Tiberias. Following this victory, he captured Jerusalem that same year, ending the rule of the Latin Kingdom that had begun in 1099. The conquest prompted the launching of the Third Crusade, which included the English king Richard the Lionheart. The war ended in a settlement, with the Crusaders retaining some coastal territories while Jerusalem remained in Muslim hands, though it was accessible to Christian pilgrims.

Legacy

The Ayyubid dynasty continued to rule after him until the Mamluks took control of Egypt in the thirteenth century. Saladin became famous in both Islamic and European history, particularly for his conduct toward those he fought against. Many literary stories about him were recorded in Europe.