Saladin

Saladin ( 1137 or 1138 – 1193 ; : Selaheddînê Eyûbî , : Salah ad-Din Yusuf Ibn Ayyub ; صلاح الدين يوسف ابن ايوب ; Salah ad-Din means The Righteousness of the Faith ) was a 12th century Kurdish Muslim military general who founded the Ayyubid dynasty of Egypt and Syria . He was also renowned in both the Christian and Muslim worlds for his leadership and military prowess tempered by his chivalry and merciful nature during the Crusades . Saladin, from a 12th-century Arab codex

A Muslim of Kurdish origin, Saladin led the Muslim opposition to the European Crusaders in the Levant . At the height of his power, his sultanate included Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia , Hejaz , Yemen and other parts of North Africa . Originally sent to Fatimid Egypt by his Zengid lord Nur ad-Din in 1163, Saladin climbed the ranks of the Fatimid government by virtue of his military successes against Crusader assaults on its territory and his personal closeness to the caliph al-Adid . When Saladin's uncle Shirkuh died in 1169, al-Adid appointed Saladin vizier , a rare nomination of a Sunni Muslim to such an important position in the Shia Muslim -led caliphate . During his term as vizier Saladin began to undermine the Fatimid establishment, and following al-Adid's death in 1171 he took over the government and realigned the country's allegiance with the Baghdad -based Abbasid Caliphate . In the following years, he led forays against the Crusaders in Palestine , ordered the successful conquest of Yemen and staved off pro-Fatimid rebellions in Upper Egypt . Not long after the death of Nur ad-Din in 1174, Saladin personally led the conquest of Syria, peacefully entering Damascus at the request of its ruler. By mid-1175, Saladin had conquered Hama and Homs , inviting the animosity of his former Zengid lords, who had been the official rulers of Syria. Soon after, he defeated the Zengid army in battle and was thereafter proclaimed the "Sultan of Egypt and Syria" by the Abbasid caliph al-Mustadi . He made further conquests in northern Syria and Jazira , escaping two attempts on his life by the Assassins , before returning to Egypt in 1177 to address issues there. By 1182, Saladin completed the conquest of Syria after capturing Aleppo , but ultimately failed to take over the Zengid stronghold of Mosul . Under Saladin's personal leadership, the Ayyubid army defeated the Crusaders at the decisive Battle of Hattin in 1187, leading the way to the Muslims' re-capture of Palestine from the Crusaders who had conquered it 88 years earlier. Though the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem would continue to exist for an extended period, its defeat at Hattin marked a turning point in its conflict with the Muslim powers of the region. Saladin has become a prominent figure in Muslim , Arab , Turk and Kurdish culture . In 1193 he died in Damascus, having given much of his wealth to his subjects. Saladin is buried in a mausoleum adjacent to the Umayyad Mosque . Master Narratives of Islamist Extremism . A number of contemporary sources make note of this. The biographer Ibn Khallikan writes, "Historians agree in stating that [Saladin's] father and family belonged to Duwin [ Dvin ]. ... Among the free-born amirs the Kurds would seem the most dependent on Saladin's success for the progress of their own fortunes. He too was a Kurd, after all ...

An-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( / ALA-LC : Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb ; / ALA-LC: Selahedînê Eyûbî ), known as Salah ad-Din or Saladin ( / ˈ s æ l ə d ɪ n / ; 1137 – 4 March 1193), was the first sultan of Egypt and Syria and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty . A Sunni Muslim of Kurdish ethnicity, Saladin led the Muslim military campaign against the Crusader states in the Levant . During his reign, Saladin has been described as the de facto Caliph of Islam and at the height of his power, his caliphate included Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia , the Hejaz , Yemen and other parts of North Africa . He was originally sent to Fatimid Egypt in 1164 alongside his uncle Shirkuh , a general of the Zengid army, on the orders of their lord Nur ad-Din to help restore Shawar as vizier of the teenage Fatimid caliph al-Adid . A power struggle ensued between Shirkuh and Shawar after the latter was reinstated. Saladin, meanwhile, climbed the ranks of the Fatimid government by virtue of his military successes against Crusader assaults against its territory and his personal closeness to al-Adid. After Shawar was assassinated and Shirkuh died in 1169, al-Adid appointed Saladin vizier, a rare nomination of a Sunni Muslim to such an important position in the Isma'ili Shia caliphate. During his tenure as vizier, Saladin began to undermine the Fatimid establishment and, following al-Adid's death in 1171, he abolished the Fatimid Caliphate and realigned the country's allegiance with the Sunni, Baghdad -based Abbasid Caliphate . In the following years, he led forays against the Crusaders in Palestine , commissioned the successful conquest of Yemen, and staved off pro-Fatimid rebellions in Upper Egypt . Not long after Nur ad-Din's death in 1174, Saladin launched his conquest of Syria, peacefully entering Damascus at the request of its governor. By mid-1175, Saladin had conquered Hama and Homs , inviting the animosity of other Zengid lords, the official rulers of Syria's various regions. Soon after, he defeated the Zengid army at the Battle of the Horns of Hama and was thereafter proclaimed the "Sultan of Egypt and Syria" by the Abbasid caliph al-Mustadi . Saladin made further conquests in northern Syria and Jazira , escaping two attempts on his life by Assassins , before returning to Egypt in 1177 to address issues there. By 1182, Saladin had completed the conquest of Muslim Syria after capturing Aleppo , but ultimately failed to take over the Zengid stronghold of Mosul . Under Saladin's command, the Ayyubid army defeated the Crusaders at the decisive Battle of Hattin in 1187, and thereafter wrested control of Palestine—including the city of Jerusalem—from the Crusaders, who had conquered the area 88 years earlier. Although the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem continued to exist until the late 13th century, its defeat at Hattin marked a turning point in its conflict with the Muslim powers of the region. Saladin died in Damascus in 1193, having given away much of his personal wealth to his subjects. He is buried in a mausoleum adjacent to the Umayyad Mosque . Saladin has become a prominent figure in Muslim , Arab , Turkish and Kurdish culture , and he has often been described as being the most famous Kurd in history. A number of contemporary sources make note of this. The biographer Ibn Khallikan writes, "Historians agree in stating that [Saladin's] father and family belonged to Duwin [ Dvin ]. ... Among the free-born amirs the Kurds would seem the most dependent on Saladin's success for the progress of their own fortunes. He too was a Kurd, after all ... Encyclopedia of World Biography on Saladin . Famous Battles of the Medieval Period . Historical Dictionary of the Kurds (2 ed.). The Crusades: Islamic Perspectives (illustrated ed.). Making War In The Name Of God . A Quick & Dirty Guide to War: Briefings on Present and Potential Wars (3, illustrated, revised ed.).

Founder of the Ayyubid dynasty For other uses, see Saladin (disambiguation) . Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( c. 1137 – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin ( lit. ' Honour of the Faith ' ), was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty . Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria . An important figure of the Third Crusade , he spearheaded the Muslim military effort against the Crusader states in the Levant . At the height of his power, the Ayyubid realm spanned Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia , the Hejaz , Yemen , and Nubia . Alongside his uncle Shirkuh , a general of the Zengid dynasty , Saladin was sent to Egypt under the Fatimid Caliphate in 1164, on the orders of Nur ad-Din . With their original purpose being to help restore Shawar as the vizier to the teenage Fatimid caliph al-Adid , a power struggle ensued between Shirkuh and Shawar after the latter was reinstated. Saladin, meanwhile, climbed the ranks of the Fatimid government by virtue of his military successes against Crusader assaults as well as his personal closeness to al-Adid. After Shawar was assassinated and Shirkuh died in 1169, al-Adid appointed Saladin as vizier. During his tenure, Saladin, a Sunni Muslim , began to undermine the Fatimid establishment; following al-Adid's death in 1171, he abolished the Cairo -based Isma'ili Shia Muslim Fatimid Caliphate and realigned Egypt with the Baghdad -based Sunni Abbasid Caliphate . In the following years, he led forays against the Crusaders in Palestine , commissioned the successful conquest of Yemen, and staved off pro-Fatimid rebellions in Egypt. Not long after Nur ad-Din's death in 1174, Saladin launched his conquest of Syria, peacefully entering Damascus at the request of its governor. By mid-1175, Saladin had conquered Hama and Homs , inviting the animosity of other Zengid lords, who were the official rulers of Syria's principalities; he subsequently defeated the Zengids at the Battle of the Horns of Hama in 1175, and was thereafter proclaimed the ' Sultan of Egypt and Syria ' by the Abbasid caliph al-Mustadi . Saladin launched further conquests in northern Syria and Upper Mesopotamia, escaping two attempts on his life by the Assassins , before returning to Egypt in 1177 to address local issues there. By 1182, Saladin had completed the conquest of Islamic Syria after capturing Aleppo , but failed to take over the Zengid stronghold of Mosul . Under Saladin's command, the Ayyubid army defeated the Crusaders at the decisive Battle of Hattin in 1187, capturing Jerusalem and re-establishing Muslim military dominance in the Levant. Although the Crusaders' Kingdom of Jerusalem persisted until the late 13th century, the defeat in 1187 marked a turning point in the Christian military effort against Muslim powers in the region. Saladin died in Damascus in 1193, having given away much of his personal wealth to his subjects; he is buried in a mausoleum adjacent to the Umayyad Mosque . Alongside his significance to Muslim culture , Saladin is revered prominently in Kurdish , Turkic , and Arab culture . He has frequently been described as the most famous Kurdish figure in history. There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Founder of the Ayyubid dynasty (c. 1137–1193) For other uses, see Saladin (disambiguation) . Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub ( c. 1137 – 4 March 1193), commonly known as Saladin , was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty . Hailing from a Kurdish family, he was the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria . An important figure of the Third Crusade , he spearheaded the Muslim military effort against the Crusader states in the Levant . At the height of his power, the Ayyubid realm spanned Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia , the Hejaz , Yemen , and Nubia . Alongside his uncle Shirkuh , a Kurdish mercenary commander in service of the Zengid dynasty , Saladin was sent to Fatimid Egypt in 1164, on the orders of the Zengid ruler Nur ad-Din . With their original purpose being to help restore Shawar as the vizier to the teenage Fatimid caliph al-Adid , a power struggle ensued between Shirkuh and Shawar after the latter was reinstated. Saladin, meanwhile, climbed the ranks of the Fatimid government by virtue of his military successes against Crusader assaults and his personal closeness to al-Adid. After Shawar was assassinated and Shirkuh died in 1169, al-Adid appointed Saladin as vizier. During his tenure, Saladin, a Sunni Muslim , began to undermine the Fatimid establishment; following al-Adid's death in 1171, he abolished the Cairo-based Isma'ili Shia Muslim Fatimid Caliphate and realigned Egypt with the Baghdad-based Sunni Abbasid Caliphate . In the following years, Saladin led forays against the Crusaders in Palestine , commissioned the successful conquest of Yemen, and staved off pro-Fatimid rebellions in Egypt. Not long after Nur ad-Din died in 1174, Saladin launched his conquest of Syria, peacefully entering Damascus at the request of its governor. By mid-1175, Saladin had conquered Hama and Homs , inviting the animosity of other Zengid lords, who were the official rulers of Syria's principalities; he subsequently defeated the Zengids at the Battle of the Horns of Hama in 1175 and was thereafter proclaimed the ' Sultan of Egypt and Syria ' by the Abbasid caliph al-Mustadi . Saladin launched further conquests in northern Syria and Upper Mesopotamia, escaping two attempts on his life by the Assassins before returning to Egypt in 1177 to address local issues there. By 1182, Saladin had completed the conquest of Islamic Syria after capturing Aleppo but failed to take over the Zengid stronghold of Mosul . Under Saladin's command, the Ayyubid army defeated the Crusaders at the decisive Battle of Hattin in 1187, capturing Jerusalem and re-establishing Muslim military dominance in the Levant. Although the Crusaders' Kingdom of Jerusalem persisted until the late 13th century, the defeat in 1187 marked a turning point in the Christian military effort against Muslim powers in the region. Saladin died in Damascus in 1193, having given away much of his personal wealth to his subjects; he is buried in a mausoleum adjacent to the Umayyad Mosque . Alongside his significance to Muslim culture , Saladin is revered prominently in Kurdish , Turkic , and Arab culture . He has frequently been described as the most famous Kurdish figure in history. By the end of the 12th century, the wearing of the sharbush demonstrated support for Salah al-Din. Under the later Bahri Mamluks of Egypt and Syria it formed part of the khil'a given to an amir on his investiture. The Coinage of the Ayyubids . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).