Saladin bin Ayub (Arabic: صححدينيوفنيووونيو English full name: An Nasir Salah ad Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub; 1137-1193 March 4) was a Kurdish, an outstanding military strategist and politician in the medieval Muslim world, and the founder of the Ayub dynasty in Egypt (1174). (reigned on March 4, 1193) [1].
Saladin defected to the Zangi dynasty with his father in his early years and went on an expedition to Egypt with his uncle. In 1169, he became the Prime Minister of the Fatimid dynasty. In 1171, the Fatimid Caliph was deposed and the Ayyubid dynasty was established. In 1174, it was called Sudan. After the founding of the country, efforts were made to unify Syria and most of Mesopotamia, bringing Egypt and the vast region of West Asia back under the same regime. In 1187, he defeated and captured the King of Jerusalem and the commander of the Knights Templar in the Battle of Harding, and subsequently forced his surrender to Jerusalem. During the Third Crusade, they also resisted the attack of King Richard I of England. During his reign, he recognized the Abbasid Caliph as a religious leader, replaced the senior positions of Shia aristocratic elders in military and political affairs with Sunni elders, and opened religious schools in Cairo and Alexandria to promote Sunni teachings. The main focus of one's life was devoted to the war against the Crusaders, promoting political integrity, developing the economy, respecting scholars, and sponsoring academia. In 1193, Saladin passed away in Damascus and was buried next to the Wumaiye Mosque. [11]
Saladin is generous, honest and upright, and widely praised. Renowned in the Christian and Muslim world for his military talent and leadership style demonstrated during the Islamic civilization's resistance against the Crusades. Western scholars hailed him as a monarch with a chivalrous demeanor; Egypt and the Arab people bestowed upon him the honor of being a national hero.

Early period
Saladin's full name is Amarik Nasser Saladin Abu Musa Yusuf ibn Ayub. [3] His father Ayub was a Kurdish and moved his family from Tbilisi (now Tbilisi, Georgia) to Tikrit in northern Iraq. He was granted the title of Sultan Maliksa of the Seljuk Empire and became the local ruler.
In 1138, Ayub was dismissed and forced to join the Zangi dynasty in Mosul. That year, his son Yusuf was born in Tikrit. He named his son Saladin (meaning "faith in justice" or "honor of faith" [16]). In 1146, the ruler of the Zangi dynasty, Imad Din Zangi, died and the dynasty split. The eastern Mosul region is ruled by Saifudin Ghazi I, the eldest son of Imadedin Zangi, while the western Aleppo region is under the jurisdiction of another son, Nurdin Mahmud. Young Saladin followed his father Ayub to seek refuge in Nur Din. Ayub assisted Nur Din in capturing Damascus, resisting the Crusader's attack, and became Nur Din's trusted general, appointed as the commander of Damascus. In Damascus, Saladin spent his teenage years. During his youth, Saladin was not only skilled in horseback riding and archery, but also had a passion for Islamic scriptures. He was a devout Sunni and was proficient in using Kurdish and Arabic. [4] [20]
Rise of Egypt
Saladin lived in a turbulent era. At that time, the Seljuk Empire, which spanned Central and West Asia, began to disintegrate. The Abbasid Caliph of Baghdad, under the protection of the Seljuk Empire, was in name only. [4] The Zangi dynasty firmly controlled modern northern Iraq and Syria, and was occasionally threatened by the Crusaders due to its borders with the Christian Crusader kingdoms. Nur Din intended to occupy Egypt and flanked the Crusaders from the east and west. The Crusaders, in order to expand their invasion and avoid being surrounded, also turned their greedy gaze to Egypt, which was located in a crucial location and abundant in resources.

At this time, Egypt was under the rule of the crumbling Fatimid dynasty, which adopted Shia as its state religion. In 1164 and 1167, Nur Din twice sent Serkuh, the uncle of Saladin, to Egypt. Saladin accompanied him and served as a vanguard, demonstrating exceptional bravery. On the second expedition, Nur Din's army learned that the enemy had an advantage in numbers and developed a sense of fear. Saladin encouraged the soldiers to outnumber the enemy. He took the lead, bravely killed the enemy, and achieved victory. Later, Saladin was appointed as Alexander's commander and led 1000 defenders to confront the invading enemy forces from both sea and land. Despite the enemy's strength and lack of food, he defended for 75 days and won the battle, demonstrating outstanding military and organizational skills. [4]
In 1168, King Amalik of Jerusalem attacked the Fatimid dynasty. At the request of the Fatimid Caliph Adid, Nur Din dispatched his nephews and nephews, including Serko and Saladin, to assist. In January 1169, the victorious Schr ö ko was appointed as Vizier (i.e. Prime Minister) by Adid. Two months later, Schr ö ko died suddenly, and his Syrian army fell into a quarrel. Adid chose Saladin to succeed Vizier. [3-4]
Saladin is an ambitious and visionary politician. As early as his first expedition to Egypt, he had ambitious plans to establish his own dynasty in Egypt and drive the Crusaders out of the Holy City of Jerusalem and Arab territories. The young Saladin was well aware that although he had gained great power in Egypt, his position was unstable, and he was hated by former Prime Minister Shavard's followers and supporters of the Fatimid dynasty, as well as challenged by the Crusaders and suspected by Nur Din. In addition, Saladin's dual subordinate status also put him in a very awkward situation. He was both the Prime Minister of the Shia Fatimid dynasty and a general of the Sunni Sultan Nurdin. In order to consolidate his position, Saladin first demanded that the Egyptians be loyal to both the Fatimid dynasty and the Sultan of Nurdin, while praying for both. Then, he quickly and decisively suppressed the armed rebellion launched by eunuch Johail under the instigation of Fatima Caliph. Shortly thereafter, Saladin defeated the invading armies of Jerusalem and the Byzantine Empire at Dumyat from the sea. [3] The victory of Dumyat fundamentally changed the pattern of years of struggle between Egypt and the Crusaders, forcing the Crusaders to not easily attack Egypt, stabilizing Egypt from years of chaos, freeing it from the chaos of war, and providing the people with opportunities for cultivation and livelihood.

In 1171, Saladin, who had established himself in Egypt, began planning to change the Shia dominated situation in Egypt. He reorganized the imperial guards and attendants, cleared out old officials, promoted his relatives and trusted relatives, granted a large number of fiefs, and implemented a military enfeoffment system; Establishing religious academies to promote Sunni teachings and replacing Shia elders with Sunni elders; Developing water conservancy and agriculture; Reduce taxes; Adopting a tolerant policy towards Copts who believed in Christianity quickly won the support and love of the people, becoming an indisputable leader in Egypt. On September 10th, Saladin, taking advantage of the critical illness of Fatima Caliph Adid, ordered mosques to resume praising the Abbasid Caliph during Friday's gathering ceremony, without mentioning the name of Fatima Caliph. The next day, he held a grand military parade in Cairo, with a total of 147 formations under review. According to historical records, "Those who have read it all believe that no Islamic king has an army comparable to theirs." Two days later, Adid passed away, and the Fatimid dynasty came to an end. From then on, the Ayyubid dynasty was born, and Saladin became the true ruler of Egypt. [4] [24]
Marching into Syria
After becoming the ruler of Egypt, Saladin still maintained his position as a vassal of the Zangi dynasty. Under this premise, he successively sent troops to occupy the land of present-day Libya, eastern Tunisia, Yemen, and northern Sudan, in order to unify the scattered Islamic forces and eliminate the Crusaders based on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean. [4]
In the spring of 1174, Nur Din sent people to Egypt to investigate accounts and collect tribute. Saladin presented detailed accounts of the entire military and political organization to Nur Din's envoy, stating that maintaining such an organization would require a large amount of money and therefore would not be possible to pay tribute to Nur Din. Angry Nurdin was preparing to launch an attack on Saladin, but he suddenly fell ill and passed away. Saladin broke free from the shadow of the patriarch, declared independence, and became the leader of the resistance against the Crusaders. [4]
Nurding was succeeded by his 11 year old son Saleh, and the Zangi dynasty was in a state of division. Saladin began to expand his influence towards Syria and the Two Rivers Basin. Many generals in Syria have invited Saladin to govern in Syria.

In October 1174, Saladin came from Egypt to the southern gateway of Basra in Damascus. The local governor of Busla, Shamsdin, believed that Saladin had too few people. He said to Saladin, "As long as the garrison in Damascus resists you for an hour, the surrounding villagers can take you down. But if you bring money, things will be easy." Saladin's entourage replied, "We brought 50000 dinars." On October 28th, Saladin's soldiers entered Damascus bloodless. [4] On the way, a large number of Damascus defenders left the city to join his team. Saladin spent a lot of money to appease Damascus. According to his minister Fadil, he spent all of Egypt's money on conquering Syria. Saladin marched north and successively occupied Homs and Hama. On December 30th, he arrived at the capital of the Zangi dynasty, Aleppo, forcing Saleh to recognize the rule of the Ayyubid dynasty over Syria. [4]
In 1175, Saladin was awarded the title of "Sultan of Egypt, Syria, Maghreb, and Yemen" by Abbasid Caliph Mustadir, and gained control over Egypt, Syria, Hijaz, Maghreb, and Nubia. [4] [24]
Rashid al Din Sinan of the Syrian Nichari faction sent assassins twice to assassinate the powerful enemy Saladin in 1174 and 1176. After the assassination failed, on May 22, 1176, Saladin invaded the territory of the Nichari faction and besieged the fortress of Masyad. And Hama, located near the fortress, was governed by Saladin's maternal uncle, who had always wanted to maintain peaceful relations with the Nichari faction. With his mediation, Saladin reached a ceasefire agreement with Rashid Din Sinan. In the following twenty years, there were no more wars between the two sides. Rashid Din Sinan also dispatched his troops to support Saladin in some decisive battles. [28]
On November 25, 1177, in the Battle of Mongiza, Saladin, who had personally led a force of 26000, was defeated by King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem, who led 375 knights and thousands of infantry. Saladin himself fled on a camel amidst the chaos. In 1179, he captured the castle built by Baldwin IV's army at Jacob's Ferry in the Battle of Jacob's Ferry.

In 1181, Saladin established friendly relations with the Byzantine Empire, lifting the threat of Byzantines and European feudal lords attacking Egypt from the sea. In July, Saleh passed away. Saladin intensified the siege under the pretext of marrying Nur al Din's widow and Salih's biological mother, who had the right to inherit Nur al Din's country. [4]
In 1183, Saladin negotiated with the defending general Zangi and proposed exchanging five cities for Aleppo. On the night of June 11th, Aleppo opened the city gate. Saladin asked the defenders to take away all the treasures, while he promised to only take the stones from Aleppo. He regarded Aleppo as the "key to the earth". In a letter to his younger brother Tugteqin, he said, "Aleppo is the eye of Syria, and Aleppo Castle is her pupil." He mocked Zangi, who had abandoned Aleppo, and said, "I took a gold coin and gave him a silver coin." In 1185, Saladin captured Mosul again, controlling the upper reaches of the two river basins. At this point, Saladin not only firmly controlled Egypt and Sudan, but also expanded his influence to parts of Syria, the Arabian Peninsula, and Iraq, unifying the previously fragmented small country into a powerful Islamic empire.

Reclaim the Holy City
Main entry: Battle of Harding, Siege of Jerusalem
The occupation of Aleppo allowed Saladin to concentrate on dealing with the Crusaders in Palestine, completing the strategic deployment of encircling the Crusaders from the east, west, and north. In his view, Syria and Egypt are like two grinding discs, grinding the crusaders sandwiched in between into powder.
After Gui of Lucinion became the king of Jerusalem, another Crusader leader, Karak, and Renaud of the Duke of Montreal, Ch â tienne, proclaimed themselves king in a huge castle in Karak on the other side of the Jordan River, near the Arab border, and repeatedly blasphemed the ceasefire agreement between the Latin kingdoms and Saladin. He threatened to invade Arabia and turn the white of Mecca into powder. In the summer of 1181, he violated the agreement with Saladin in 1180 and robbed a Muslim caravan, causing a war. He sailed five warships into the Red Sea to blockade Muslim ports, but was later annihilated by the Egyptian fleet. [13]
In 1186, Leonard once again tore up the previous agreement on free trade with Saladin, imposed transit taxes, and looted caravans, seriously affecting trade between Egypt and Syria. He is still building ships in the Gulf of Aqaba, attempting to attack the Islamic holy sites of Mecca and Medina from the sea, attack pilgrimage groups, and control trade between the East and the West. Leonard's treacherous behavior became the trigger for Saladin's "holy war" against the Crusaders.

In 1187, Saladin took advantage of the conflict between the Principality of Antioch and the Kingdom of Jerusalem to mobilize 20000 troops from various regions and form an Arab coalition, calling for "Allah is great, drive the Franks out of Jerusalem!" and opening the prelude to the holy war. On July 3rd, Saladin surrounded the Crusaders in Harding near the west bank of Lake Tabaret. The Arab army lit up the bushes around the Crusader camp, and the thick smoke made the Crusaders gasp for breath. The Crusaders had no water to drink and were extremely thirsty. Although Lake Tabal is within reach, they are unable to break through the encirclement of the Arab army. In the scorching summer heat, a large number of Crusader soldiers died of thirst and heat. On the morning of the 4th, Crusader general Raymond led the knights to charge. Saladin ordered the army to leave a gap for them to escape, and then surrounded all the Jerusalem infantry. Finally, the Crusaders in Jerusalem were almost completely annihilated. Except for a few knights who were able to escape, all the generals led by General Guy and Leonard were captured, and Saladin's army also shattered the morale boosting "True Cross" (one of the Christian holy relics) of the Crusaders. Historians say that this battle marked the beginning of the failure of the Crusades to the East. Subsequently, Saladin personally dealt with Leonard and released him after Guy promised not to confront Muslims anymore. After the Battle of Harding, Saladin pursued the victory and quickly occupied most of the coastal fortresses south of Tripoli and most of the towns south of Lake Tabaret, cutting off the supply lines of the Crusaders. After 13 days of siege, Jerusalem surrendered. On September 2, 1187, Saladin chose to enter Jerusalem on the day of the Feast of Ascension to commemorate the Prophet Muhammad who ascended to the sky in Jerusalem. The holy city, which was occupied by the Crusaders for 88 years, has returned to the hands of Muslims.

Contrary to the massacre that occurred 88 years ago when the Crusaders captured Jerusalem (in 1099, 70000 Muslim residents were slaughtered within a week), Saladin did not engage in slaughter or burning upon entering Jerusalem. According to the agreement signed at the time of surrender, each man in Jerusalem was required to pay a ransom of 10 dinars, each woman was required to pay 5 dinars, and children were required to pay 1 dinar; Those who are unable to pay become slaves. Saladin waived the ransom of 7000 poor people. Saladin's brother demanded 1000 slaves from Saladin and immediately released them; The Bishop of Jerusalem immediately followed suit and demanded 700 slaves from him before releasing them; Christian leader Balian, who resisted Muslims, also made similar demands and was granted approval. Finally, Saladin said, "My brother did a good deed, and the priest and Balian also did their good deed. Now it's my turn." He then announced the release of all the elderly who couldn't afford the ransom. But there were still 15000 people who were not released, including the wives and daughters of nobles who died in the Battle of Harding. "Their tears softened Saladin's heart," and he ultimately released all the prisoners of war. Balian's attendant Ernule described: "He paid out of his own pocket to comfort his orphaned daughters and widows, who praised the good name of God and spread the kindness and glory of Saladin everywhere." [4-5]
During the Crusader occupation, the Al Aqsa Mosque was converted into the headquarters of the Knights Templar, and the Rock Mosque became a church. Saladin restored them to mosques, washed them with rose water, and removed the crosses on the golden roof of the Rock Mosque. [3] Someone suggested to him to demolish the Holy Sepulchre Cathedral in Jerusalem, but Saladin did not agree. On the contrary, he opened the holy sites of Jerusalem to all religions. Saladin allowed Jews to settle in Jerusalem and also granted disarmed Christians the right to enter the city. He allowed them to pilgrimage and protected their safety. [13]
Afterwards, Saladin attempted to attack the fortified city of Tyre, but was unsuccessful, so he withdrew his troops. After 1188, he retired from Damascus due to illness.

War Crusaders
The news of Saladin's occupation of Jerusalem shook Europe. Pope Urban III died of a heart attack upon hearing the news, and his successor Pope Gregory VIII called for action. The enthusiasm of the Crusaders was once again ignited, and Holy Roman Emperor Frederick I the Red Beard, King Richard I the Lionheart of England, King Philip II of France, and Guy, who had broken his promise after being released by Saladin, launched the Third Crusade in 1189. [4]
The Crusaders chose Aka as their main target for attack. Starting from August 1189, the Crusaders launched a two-year siege of Aka, constructing three huge mobile siege towers and using stone throwers to attack the city. The Muslim support fleet that arrived from Beirut was sunk by King Richard's large sailboat. On July 12, 1191, the defenders of Aka surrendered. [4] Due to the inability of the prisoners to pay a ransom of 200000 gold coins, Richard ordered the beheading of all 2700 prisoners of war. Subsequently, Saladin declared retaliation by slaughtering Christians within his jurisdiction. [18]
Then, Richard approached Jerusalem. Saladin called on Muslims to pledge their lives to defend the holy city. [4] On September 7, 1191, Richard defeated Saladin at the Battle of Asulf. In 1192, during the Battle of Jaffa, Richard repelled Saladin's main force with a small number of troops. After Saladin's attack on Richard, it still ended in failure, and he had no choice but to retreat to Jerusalem to strengthen his defense.

After the war, Saladin and Richard both fell ill. Saladin sent someone to deliver fruits to Richard and also sent a doctor. Richard knew that Jerusalem was difficult to capture, and the internal divisions within the Crusaders were becoming increasingly severe. Coupled with the unstable internal affairs of the country, there was a possibility of the throne being usurped. Therefore, he negotiated with Saladin and signed the Treaty of Ramlet on September 2, 1192. According to the treaty, places such as Sida, Beirut, and Jubail belong to Muslims; The Latin people preserved the narrow coastal strip from Sur to Jaffa; Jerusalem is managed by Muslims, and Christians are free to go on pilgrimage; Muslims return all Christian religious relics, including the cross. [3-4]
Died of illness in old age
After winning a peaceful environment, Saladin began to focus on domestic development and formulated a comprehensive plan for the rectification and expansion of Cairo. He gathered scattered residential areas, connected the new and old cities together, and prepared to build a 25 kilometer long, three meter wide, and nine to ten meter high city wall around Cairo. Due to being busy with the war, this plan was not fully implemented. In order to defend against the Crusader's attack, Saladin built a sturdy castle on Mount Mugetam southeast of Cairo, known as Saladin Castle. There is also a well dug inside the castle, which is 220 feet deep and named Yousu Fukui. [4]
On February 20, 1193, Saladin was infected with typhoid fever in Damascus. He is in a daze and confused, only occasionally waking up for a while. On the late night of March 3rd, Saladin's condition worsened. On the morning of the 4th, a religious scholar recited the Quran in front of Saladin's bed. When Saladin said, "He is my Lord, and there is nothing to be admired except him. I only trust him," she smiled calmly and passed away at the age of 55. After Saladin's death, he was buried near the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus. Behind Saladin, his younger brother and son inherited power. The Ayyubid dynasty ruled Egypt until 1250 and controlled Damascus and Aleppo until 1260. [3]
Before his death, Saladin also instructed his eldest son Malik Everdale to "revere Allah, understand the people's sentiments, and care for their suffering.". Saladin lived a clean and selfless life, living a simple life. According to Arab literature, when he passed away, only one dinar and 47 dirkhans were left as his legacy.

During Saladin's reign, he implemented a series of policies to enrich the country and strengthen the military, promoting the political, economic, and cultural development of the Ayyubid dynasty.
politics
Politically, Saladin established a sound government institution and judicial system, implementing a military enfeoffment system. In terms of military affairs, the palace guard and military organization were reorganized, the regular army was rebuilt, military engineering was constructed, and military fortresses such as Cairo and Damascus castles were built to prevent Crusader attacks. [4]
economic
Economically, Saladin built roads, dug canals, constructed embankments, developed agriculture, established factories, supported handicrafts, reduced taxes, and improved people's lives.

culture
Saladin advocates academic culture, develops education, and protects scholars. Islamic higher education institutions have been established in major cities, with 20 in Damascus alone, with the most famous being the Shafihir school in Cairo. Aizihar University has also been expanded and developed, reforming its teaching content and methods. Establishing hospitals, cultivating medical talents, and improving medical standards. Hiring many renowned scholars for academic research, rewarding them for writing books and advocating for free discussion of academic issues, and promoting successful scholars to become ministers and staff. In addition to establishing a large number of schools, the architectural form of the mosque was also renovated to make it more suitable for teaching activities. In addition, reforms have been made to the teaching content and methods. In addition to teaching courses on Quran annotations, hadith, Islamic law, language, literature, etc., the school also offers social and natural sciences such as philosophy, logic, astronomy, and mathematics. [4] The academic development during the Saladin era has gone through the preservation of the Mamluk dynasty. [12]
In terms of religion, Saladin recognized Abbasid Caliph as a religious leader, promoted Sunni doctrine and doctrine, presided over religious affairs by Sunni elders in various mosques, established a chief religious judge in the dynasty, overseeing the implementation of national religious laws, constructing mosques, and imparting teachings and teachings. Open three religious schools in Cairo and Alexandria to promote Sunni teachings. [2] To inspire the enthusiasm of Muslims to resist the Crusaders, scholars were instructed to write works promoting "holy war", calling on Muslims to "grasp the rope of Allah", unite closely, and resist foreign enemies.
military affairs
In the 1280s, Saladin and the Byzantine Empire formed an alliance and signed a trade treaty with the Italian city-state republic, attracting them to trade in Egypt. He also reached an agreement with Count Raymond III of Tripoli that the Count's troops could pass through his territory without being attacked. [3] When most of the inland areas of Levant were under its control, Saladin prepared for war with the Crusaders. In 1187, Saladin mobilized 60000 troops from various regions to form the Arab League and issued a call for "Allah is the greatest, to drive the Franks out of Jerusalem and reclaim lost territories", declaring a "holy war" against the Crusaders. On July 4th, in the Battle of Hadin near Lake Tibiria in Palestine, the main force of the Crusaders was annihilated in one fell swoop. Subsequently, Saladin captured coastal cities such as Ak, Beirut, Sidon, Jaffa, Caesarea, and Ashkelon, besieged and forcibly landed in Jerusalem. [3] But failed to capture Tyre.

Starting from 1189, the monarchs of England, the Holy Roman Empire, and France personally led the Crusades to launch the third eastward invasion. In August 1189, the Crusaders besieged the city of Ak. Saladin counterattacked the besieged Crusaders and engaged in multiple small-scale battles. On July 12, 1191, with the support of Richard I, the Lion Heart King, the Crusaders forced the surrender of Ak City. Subsequently, the Crusaders captured Jaffa and Ashkelon all the way, twice advancing towards Jerusalem. Saladin led the Muslim army, which had a numerical advantage, to three defeats in the battle against Richard. However, Richard was ultimately unable to stay in the East for a long time due to the domestic situation. The two sides signed a ceasefire agreement on September 2, 1192. Richard acknowledged Saladin's rule over the interior, including Jerusalem. [16] The Third Crusade of the Crusades has come to an end.