1137-1193

Yusuf ibn Ayyub ibn Shadi, commonly known as Saladin, was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. 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 Ayyubids controlled Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, the Hejaz, Yemen, the Maghreb, and Nubia. Saladin was sent to Egypt under the Fatimid Caliphate in 1164, on the orders of Nur ad-Din. Saladin climbed the ranks of the Fatimid government by virtue of his military successes against Crusader assaults and was appointed as vizier. During his tenure, Saladin, a Sunni Muslim, began to undermine the Fatimid establishment; following al-Adid's death, he abolished the Cairo-based Shia Fatimid Caliphate and realigned his power 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. 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 after defeating the Zengids at the Battle of the Horns of Hama in 1175, and was thereafter proclaimed the "Sultan of Egypt and Syria". Saladin launched further conquests in Northern Syria and Jazira, escaping two attempts on his life by the Order of Assassins and by 1182, he had completed the conquest of Muslim Syria after capturing Aleppo. Under his command, the Ayyubid army defeated the Crusaders at the decisive Battle of Hattin in 1187, capturing Jerusalem and re-establishing Muslim military dominance. Although the Crusaders’ Kingdom of Jerusalem continued to exist until the late 13th century, this defeat marked a turning point in the Christian military effort against Muslim powers in the region. Saladin died in Damascus in 1193, giving away much of his personal wealth to his subjects; he is buried in a mausoleum adjacent to the Umayyad Mosque.