Saladin The

GreatBy Meredith Gummerson

Saladin’s Early Years Birth: 1137 in Tikrit, Iraq (left

almost immediately though do to Uncle’s uncalled for murder of a Christian)

Full Name: Salah al Din Abu 'l-Muzaffer Yusuf ibn Ayyub

First Years: Spent in Baalbek and Damascus (his father was named governor of Baalbek in 1143 and later head of the Damascus militia) during the times of the 2nd Crusade.

Education: Studied the Koran, poetry, the life and principles of Muhammad, and Arabic. During this time, Sufism was quite popular and played a key influence in his life.

Young Adulthood He married at the

age of 14 and was then sent to train as an emir under Sultan Nur al-Din, who set up the Court of Appeals and played a key role in the political and military education of Saladin.

Early Adulthood In 1164 and 1169,

Saladin assisted his uncle in a military expeditions, warding of the crusaders and removing Shi'ite Muslim adversaries from power in Egypt. Saladin was later given his Uncle’s position as Vizier of Cairo. Saladin wished to unite all the Muslims under one empire to perform a Jihad.

Conquests And Events 1174- He conquered

Damascus and gained the allegiance of its rulers.

1175- “The Assassins” made two attempts on his life

1176- He allied himself with “the Assassins” before his Christian enemies can.

1183- He conquered Aleppo. 1186- He conquered Mosul, Iraq.

Saladin And The Crusades In 1187, Saladin recaptured

Jerusalem after defeating its King in the Battle of Hattin. This led Pope Gregory VII to demand the 3rd Crusade led by the English, French, and German rulers. Saladin lost Cyprus to the Christian armies in mid-1191 and the Battle of Arsur later that same year. By 1192 , the armies of King Richard the Lionheart were all that was left, as both the Germans and French had returned home.

Saladin And The Crusades (Continued) Richard became sick, and

Saladin brought him and his army fresh fruit and snow which could be used for water. This was in part because it was the right thing (according to the Koran) and in part because he wanted to know the condition of the English army. Realizing that he could not take back Jerusalem, Richard formed a treaty with Saladin that allowed Christians to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, but continued to let Saladin rule the Holy Land.

The Death Of SaladinSaladin died in 1193 from a fever and left much of his wealth to the poor of his countries. He was succeeded by his son.

Achievements And Ideas He established the Ayyub dynasty. He returned much of the region to Sunni faith. He encouraged learning by funding the

creation of schools and universities and giving those who worked there high salaries.

He built the economy back up. He created a strong army and took Jerusalem

from the Christians. He fortified and improved the city of Cairo.

The Citadel fortress was built which also housed a hospital that was way ahead of its time in cleanliness, treatment of patients, and technology.

The madrasa mosque.

The Citadel Of Cairo

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