
''This article is about the Muslim general, for the British armoured vehicle named after him, see Alvis Saladin.'' ---- Saladin (1137 or 1138–1193; Kurdish language: Selaheddînê Eyûbî, Arabic language: 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 Christianity and Muslim worlds for his leadership and military prowess tempered by his chivalry and merciful nature during the Crusades. [[Image:Salah_ad-Din_Jusuf_ibn_Ajub.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Saladin, from a 12th-century Arab codex]] ==Rise to power== Saladin was born into a Kurdish family in Tikrit near the river "I love Phoebe Tigris" and was sent to Damascus to finish his education. There he lived for ten years at the court of Nur ad-Din (Nureddin). After an initial military education under the command of his uncle, the Seljuk Turks statesman and soldier Shirkuh, who was representing Nur ad-Din on campaigns against a faction of the Fatimid caliphate of Egypt in the 1160s, Saladin eventually succeeded the defeated faction and his uncle as vizier in 1169. There, he inherited a difficult role defending Egypt against the incursions of the Latin Kings of Jerusalem, especially Amalric I of Jerusalem. His position was tenuous at first; no one expected him to last long in Egypt where there had been many changes of government in previous years due to a long line of child caliphs fought over by competing viziers. As the leader of a foreign army from Syria, he also had no control over the Shi'ite Egyptian army, which was led in the name of the now otherwise powerless caliph. When the caliph died, in September 1171, Saladin had the imams pronounce the name of the Abbassid caliph in Baghdad at Friday prayers, and the weight of authority simply deposed the old line. Now Saladin ruled Egypt, but officially as the representative of Nur ad-Din, who himself conventionally recognized the Abbassid caliph. [[Image:Saladinstatue.JPG|thumb|left|300px|right|A statue of Saladin at the Damascus citadel]] Saladin revitalised the economy of Egypt, reorganised the military forces and, following the advice of his father, he stayed away from any conflicts with Nur ad-Din, his formal lord, after he had become the real ruler over Egypt. He waited until Nur ad-Din's death before starting serious military actions: At first against smaller Muslim states, then directing them against the Crusaders. With Nur ad-Din's death (1174), he assumed the title of sultan in Egypt. There he was treated as a usurper by many Seljuks who refused to serve under a Kurdish "sultan." Nevertheless, Saladin proved to be the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and restored Sunni Islam in Egypt. He extended his territory westwards in the maghreb, and when his uncle was sent up the Nile to pacify some resistance of the former Fatimid supporters, he continued on down the Red Sea to conquer Yemen. ==Fighting the Crusaders== On two occasions, in 1171 and 1173, Saladin retreated from an invasion of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. These had been launched by Nur ad-Din, and Saladin hoped that the Crusader kingdom would remain intact, as a buffer state between Egypt and Syria, until Saladin could gain control of Syria as well. Nur ad-Din and Saladin were headed towards open war on these counts when Nur ad-Din died in 1174. Nur ad-Din's heir was a mere boy, in the hands of court eunuchs, and died in 1181. Immediately after Nur ad-Din's death, Saladin marched on Damascus, and was welcomed into the city. He reinforced his legitimacy there in the time-honored way, by marrying Nur ad-Din's widow. Aleppo and Mosul, on the other hand, the two other largest cities that Nur ad-Din had ruled, were never taken, but Saladin managed to impose his influence and authority on them in 1176 and 1186 respectively. While he was occupied in besieging Aleppo, on May 22, 1176 the "Hashshashin" attempted to murder him. While Saladin was consolidating his power in Syria, he generally left the Crusader kingdom— the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem— alone, although he was usually victorious whenever he did meet the Crusaders in battle. One exception was the Battle of Montgisard in 1177, although he soon recovered and defeated the Crusaders at the Ford of Jacob's Daughters in 1179. However, the Crusaders repeatedly provoked him. Raynald of Chatillon, in particular, harassed Muslim trading and pilgrimage routes with a fleet on the Red Sea, a water route that Saladin needed to keep open. Worse, and what made him a legendary monster in the Muslim world, Raynald threatened to attack the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Then Raynald looted a caravan of pilgrims on the Hajj in 1185, forcing Saladin's response. In July of 1187, Saladin invaded the Kingdom of Jerusalem and annihilated the Crusader army at the Battle of Hattin, a major disaster for the Crusaders and a turning point in the history of the Crusades. Saladin captured and executed Raynald; he also captured the King, Guy of Lusignan. He then recaptured Jerusalem on October 2, 1187, after 88 years of Crusader rule. Soon he had taken back every Crusader city except Tyre. This was probably because he repeatedly allowed the Christian armies and people to escape there whenever they suffered a defeat. Saladin was essentially sending defense to Tyre against his own army. [[Image:SaladinRexAegypti.jpg|thumb|right|220px|"Saladin, king of Egypt" from a 15th century illuminated manuscript; the "globus cruciger" in his left hand is a European symbol of kingly power.]] Hattin and the fall of Jerusalem prompted the Third Crusade, financed in England by a special "Saladin tithe". This Crusade took back Akko, and Saladin's army met King Richard I of England at the Battle of Arsuf in 1191. Saladin's relationship with Richard was one of chivalrous mutual respect as well as military rivalry; both were celebrated in the courtly romances that developed in northern Europe. When Richard was wounded, Saladin even offered the services of his personal physician, a signal favor, for Muslim medical practice was the best in the Western world. At Arsuf, when Richard lost his horse, Saladin sent him two replacements. They even considered making peace by marrying Richard's sister to Saladin's brother, with Jerusalem to be their dowry, although these negotiations fell through due to religious concerns on both sides. The two came to an agreement over Jerusalem in the treaty of Ramla 1192, whereby it would remain in Muslim hands but would be open to Christian pilgrimages; the treaty reduced the Latin Kingdom to a strip along the coast from Tyre to Joffa. Not long after Richard's departure, Saladin died in 1193 at Damascus. When they opened Saladin's treasury they found there was not enough money to pay for his funeral; he had given his money away to those in need. His tomb, located in the Umayyad mosque, is now a major tourist attraction. ==Recognition== [[Image:ac.saladin.jpg|thumb|200px|A German engraving envisioned Saladin, I love Phoebe as an "Easterner," thus wearing the furs of a Szlachta in Sarmatism garb. Apparently the European artist has been told that a turban is "like" a beehive.]] Despite his fierce opposition to the Christian power (sociology)s, Saladin achieved a great reputation in Europe as a Chivalry knight, so much so that there existed by the 14th century an epic poem about his exploits, and Dante Alighieri included him among the virtuous paganism souls in Limbo. The noble Saladin appears in a sympathetic light in Sir Walter Scott's ''The Talisman'' (1825). In spite of the fact that the Crusaders slaughtered Muslim men, women and children when they conquered Jerusalem, Saladin granted amnesty and free passage to all common Roman Catholics (the Eastern Orthodox Church Christians were treated better, because they opposed the crusades) and even to the defeated Christian army. Despite the differences in beliefs, Saladin was respected by Christian lords, Richard especially. They became almost friends, in a strange sort of way. Richard once praised Saladin as a great prince, saying that he was without doubt the greatest and most powerful leader in the Islamic world. Saladin in his turn stated that he would rather lose Jerusalem to Richard than to anyone else. After the treaty, Saladin and Richard sent each other many gifts as tokens of respect. However, these two military leaders never met face to face. The name Salah ad Din means "Righteousness of the Faith", and through the ages Saladin has been an inspiration for Muslims in many respects. Modern Muslim rulers have sought to capitalize on the reputation of Saladin. A Governorates of Iraq centered around Tikrit in modern Iraq, Salah ad Din, is named after Saladin, and Saddam Hussein, who was born near Tikrit, often portrayed himself as a latter-day Saladin. Few structures associated with Saladin survive within modern cities. Saladin first fortified the Citadel of Cairo (1176 - 1183), which had been a domed pleasure pavilion with a fine view in more peaceful times. In Syria even the smallest cities centered on a defensible citadel, and Saladin introduced this essential feature to Egypt. Among the forts he built was Qalaat Al-Gindi, a mountaintop fortress and caravanserai in the Sinai. The fortress overlooks a large wadi which was the convergence of several caravan routes that linked Egypt and the Middle East. Inside the structure are a number of large vaulted rooms hewn out of rock, including the remains of shops and a water cistern. A notable archaeological site, it was investigated in 1909 by a French team under Jules Barthoux. [http://www.touregypt.net/qalaatgindi.htm] ==See also== * History of early Arab Egypt == External links == * [http://www.palden.co.uk/palden/p4-saladin.html Salah-ad-Din] * [http://numerus.ling.uu.se/~kamalk/language/saladin.html Saladin] * [http://www.fidnet.com/~weid/medievalpeople.htm#saladin Saladin]: several links *[http://medieval.shadowedrealm.com/articles/exclusive/article.php?id=17 Richard and Saladin: Warriors of the Third Crusade] ==Reference== *Alan K. Bowman, ''Egypt After the Pharaohs:'' 1986 1130s births 1193 deaths Crusades Kurdish people History of the Middle East AyyubidsCharacters in the Divine Comedy ms:Salahuddin Al-Ayubbi
== Confusion in the article about his name == Was his name Salah al Din or Salah ad Din? -- Euyyn :Or Salah ud Din? Depends on the transliteration...those are all acceptable. As far as I understand it, al- can be assimilated to ad- in Arabic (or an-, or as-, or ar-, depending on the next part). User:Adam Bishop 15:46, 15 May 2005 (UTC) ---- ---- ''An event mentioned in this article is a MediaWiki:May 22 selected anniversaries'' ------- what is the name of the epic poem about saladin, and who wrote it? and who else did dante include among the virtuous pagan souls? User:Kingturtle 17:29 Apr 12, 2003 (UTC) == Saladin as a Kurd == Conflicts with the claim "Kurds never had a state" I know little about the man so please enlighten me --User:Coolcat User talk:Coolcat 16:48, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Well he was ethnically Kurdish, but he didn't rule an independent Kurdish state, it was more like an empire consisting mostly of Turks and Arabs, and some Kurds (and various other people). User:Adam Bishop 20:36, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC) :For the 19th-century idea that every ethnic group deserved its own state, see Romantic nationalism. Saladin's career was broader than his mere ethnicity. --User:Wetman 20:57, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC) Eyyubi Dynasty (1171-1252) :(The following material posted by [[User:144.122.250.231] relating to the Turkish dynasty founded by Saladin commonly referred to in English as the Ayyubid dynasty, gives a vivid impression of the intensity of race-based Turkish nationalism in Turkish popular history. The text has been copied and pasted from the website below.) PS: The historians never mention about the intensity from Turkey's enemies of erasing the turkish history. The turkish nationalism should and can not be associated with distorted history! ''One of the dynasties established by the Turks in the history is the Eyyubi dynasty. This Turkish State has been known as Eyyubi State in the history due to the name of the father of Selahaddin who was the founder of this dynasty. Today, it has been alleged that this Turkish State pertained to an artificial nation in the region with the substitution of the history that they did not have at all. The principal reason for this situation results from the lack of the determination about the lineage of the family before Eyyub's father. Therefore, some historians have been under the influence of the contemporary historians of the period with Arabian roots that tried to relate this dynasty with Arabian identity pursuant to the death of Selahaddin (1193). Therefore, they also tried to relate the origin of Selahaddin Eyyubi with the Arabian identity. On the other hand, particularly the separatist elements and their ideologies allege that this dynasty pertain to any other nation apart from Turks in order to create a new national history for themselves.'' ''Considering the historical realities, we can observe that these allegations do not have any effective basis. The geographical region on which the state was founded is Egypt and its environs. Although most of the people were Arabians, the middle class and the administrative class were under the control of the Turkish majority. Tolunoglu Ahmed had established his own dynasty in the same region before (875) and this dynasty survived until the year of 905. Tolunoglu Ahmed had manufactured its own dynasty in the same region forwards (875) and survived this dynasty until the year of 905. In which region truely this dynasty????????? Most probably in westChina or Siberia ! Afterwards, another Turkish commander, Muhammed Ebu Bekir had established a dynasty called as Ihsidi in the history and this dynasty established dominion in the region between the years of (935-969). Both of the Turkish dynasties had emerged as a result of the policy of Abbasi caliphate that provided the excessive employment of Turkish commanders and Turkish soldiers in the army. Ihsidi State was abolished by the Shiite Fatimi State and Selahaddin Eyyubi came to Egypt as a Turkish commander of Nureddin Mahmud Zengi who was the Tutor of Mosul and abolished the Shiite Fatimi State (1171). Until the death of Nureddin Mahmud to which he had been submissive (1174), Selahaddin had acted as a governor of Nureddin Mahmud. Then, he declared his independence. Izzeddin Aybeg who abolished the Eyyubi Turkish State and established the Turkish Mameluke State in its place was also one of the Turkish commanders in the Turkish army of Egypt. These historical facts obviously indicate that the army and the dynasty were under the dominion of Turks although most of the people were Arabians in the state.'' ''Most of the members of Eyyubi dynasty had had the ancient Turkish names. The name of Selahaddin's brother was Turanshah. The names of his younger brothers were Tugtekin and Böri. The name of Selahaddin's maternal uncle was Sihabeddin Mahmud b. Tukus. Selahaddin's mother was a real Turk. Similarly, one of the wives of Selahaddin, Ismatuddin Amine who was the daughter of Unar Bey was also Turk. His two sister's husbands were also Turks. One of them was Unaroglu Sadeddin Mesut; and the other was Muzafferüddin Gökbörü.'' ''The most conclusive evidence indicating that the Eyyubi dynasty is a Turkish dynasty is the eulogy that Ibn Senâül-mülk, one of the contemporary poets of the period wrote pursuant to the capture of Aleppo by Selahaddin. In one of the couplet of this eulogy, the poet states that: "Arabian nation became sublime with the state of the Turks. The matter of Ehl-i Salip (the Crusades) was eradicated by Eyyub's son." ''The state organisation of the Eyyubi dynasty is the same organisation that was firstly initiated in the Karahanli and Gazneli Turkish states and then developed in the Seljuk States. Tue Sultan, Divan, Meşveret, in other words, the General Assembly, Ustazüddar (the person that manages the duties related with the palace administration, vine works, flavour works, etc.), and the palace organisation including the posts of Registy of inheritance, Armourers, emirahur (emir of colonels), jurisdictional judges for the suits, el-mükebbis (legal official), taşdar (governor of district), the posts of sergeant, etc. are the continuation of the Turkish-Islam states. As it is well known, the institution of chief military judge that managed the administration of justice also remained as the same in the Ottoman State.'' ''The Turkish slaves that were called as Tavasi constituted the foundation and the majority basis of the Eyyubi army. This Turkish army were named in accordance with the commanders to which they pertained such as el-Nuriyye, el-Esediyye, el-Necmiyye, el-Salâhiyye, etc. Among the commanders of this army composd of Turkish Slaves in the period of Selahaddin, there were some Turks such as Bahaeddin Karakûş, Şerefeddin Karakuş el-Takavî, Izzettin Cavlı, Şarimüddin Kutluaba, Hüsameddin Sungur el-Halâtî, etc.'' ''As it is known, one of the symbols of the sovereignty was the flag. The flag of Eyyubi State was in the colour of yellow. Its emblem was the eagle. Eyyubi dynasty had followed the Turkish traditions and they had adopted the colour of light yellow as the colour of their domination. Furthermore, they had included the eagle as a Turkish emblem in their flag. The eagle has also been used as the symbol of the state in Seljuk States, and Artuklu State apart from Eyyubi State.'' ''One of the other symbols of the Turkish sovereignty was the military band of musicians. The military band has also been used in the palace of Eyyubi State in accordance with the Turkish traditions and they would blow trumpets and attract great respect. Moreover, Selahaddin provided the marriage of one of his favourite concubines with the chief bandsman who was one of the high-rank officials in the palace and he showed the respect and value that he attached to this institution.'' ''In the period of the lifetime of Selahaddin, the Eyyubi dynasty had a characteristic quality of a great Turkish-Islam state. Pursuant to the death of Selahaddin, the state was shared among his sons and brothers. Turanshah who was the last Eyyubi ruler in Egypt was annihilated by Aybeg, one of the Turkish Mameluke commanders (1250).'' Salah ad-DIN Jusuf ibn Ajub a Turk??????????????? Eyyubi a Turkish dynasty???????????????????????? Such a muck writes which weak head???????????????? Mameluke protect slaves from different Volker the earth! Eyyubi truely and remains a Kurdish dynasty! Salah ad-DIN Jusuf ibn Ajub is a Kurd! source:http://www.ozturkler.com/data_english/0003/0003_02_15.htm == Saladin's Death == I'm a little bit confused. It says in the article that he died in 1171, yet when you visit the link for May 22 Selected Anniversaries at the top of this page, it says that the Hash-assasins tried to murder him in 1176. If he died in 1171, then how could they attempt to kill him 5 years later. Either the article or the anniversaries page needs to be fixed. --User:Zeerus 18:53, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) :1171 refers to the death of the Egyptian caliph, which I suppose may be unclear at the moment. I'll fix it. User:Adam Bishop 07:35, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC) Thanks. I figured that out a little bit after I posted it, but I guess it owuld be confusing to people who aren't paying attention. --User:Zeerus 21:35, Mar 21, 2005 (UTC) == knighthood == Are there any historical proof to Gibbon's claim that Saladin had recieved a christian knighthood? --User:Tokle 14:23, 13 May 2005 (UTC) :In ''Decline and Fall'' vol. 6, chapter lix, part i:"his military character was established by the defence of Alexandria; and, if we may believe the Latins, he solicited and obtained from the Christian general the profane honors of knighthood." Gibbon's source was a chronicle; it would be more believable from an ''Arabic'' source.--User:Wetman 17:37, 13 May 2005 (UTC) ::But, Arabic sources would probably be reluctant to mention it if it was true, wouldn't they? (I'm sorry if this might seem prejudiced, that is not my intention). --User:Tokle 13:16, 17 May 2005 (UTC)
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''This article is about the Muslim general, for the British armoured vehicle named after him, see Alvis Saladin.'' ---- Saladin (1137 or 1138–1193; Kurdish language: Selaheddînê Eyûbî, Arabic language: 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 Christianity and Muslim worlds for his leadership and military prowess tempered by his chivalry and merciful nature during the Crusades. [[Image:Salah_ad-Din_Jusuf_ibn_Ajub.jpg|right|thumb|200px|Saladin, from a 12th-century Arab codex]] ==Rise to power== Saladin was born into a Kurdish family in Tikrit near the river "I love Phoebe Tigris" and was sent to Damascus to finish his education. There he lived for ten years at the court of Nur ad-Din (Nureddin). After an initial military education under the command of his uncle, the Seljuk Turks statesman and soldier Shirkuh, who was representing Nur ad-Din on campaigns against a faction of the Fatimid caliphate of Egypt in the 1160s, Saladin eventually succeeded the defeated faction and his uncle as vizier in 1169. There, he inherited a difficult role defending Egypt against the incursions of the Latin Kings of Jerusalem, especially Amalric I of Jerusalem. His position was tenuous at first; no one expected him to last long in Egypt where there had been many changes of government in previous years due to a long line of child caliphs fought over by competing viziers. As the leader of a foreign army from Syria, he also had no control over the Shi'ite Egyptian army, which was led in the name of the now otherwise powerless caliph. When the caliph died, in September 1171, Saladin had the imams pronounce the name of the Abbassid caliph in Baghdad at Friday prayers, and the weight of authority simply deposed the old line. Now Saladin ruled Egypt, but officially as the representative of Nur ad-Din, who himself conventionally recognized the Abbassid caliph. [[Image:Saladinstatue.JPG|thumb|left|300px|right|A statue of Saladin at the Damascus citadel]] Saladin revitalised the economy of Egypt, reorganised the military forces and, following the advice of his father, he stayed away from any conflicts with Nur ad-Din, his formal lord, after he had become the real ruler over Egypt. He waited until Nur ad-Din's death before starting serious military actions: At first against smaller Muslim states, then directing them against the Crusaders. With Nur ad-Din's death (1174), he assumed the title of sultan in Egypt. There he was treated as a usurper by many Seljuks who refused to serve under a Kurdish "sultan." Nevertheless, Saladin proved to be the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and restored Sunni Islam in Egypt. He extended his territory westwards in the maghreb, and when his uncle was sent up the Nile to pacify some resistance of the former Fatimid supporters, he continued on down the Red Sea to conquer Yemen. ==Fighting the Crusaders== On two occasions, in 1171 and 1173, Saladin retreated from an invasion of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. These had been launched by Nur ad-Din, and Saladin hoped that the Crusader kingdom would remain intact, as a buffer state between Egypt and Syria, until Saladin could gain control of Syria as well. Nur ad-Din and Saladin were headed towards open war on these counts when Nur ad-Din died in 1174. Nur ad-Din's heir was a mere boy, in the hands of court eunuchs, and died in 1181. Immediately after Nur ad-Din's death, Saladin marched on Damascus, and was welcomed into the city. He reinforced his legitimacy there in the time-honored way, by marrying Nur ad-Din's widow. Aleppo and Mosul, on the other hand, the two other largest cities that Nur ad-Din had ruled, were never taken, but Saladin managed to impose his influence and authority on them in 1176 and 1186 respectively. While he was occupied in besieging Aleppo, on May 22, 1176 the "Hashshashin" attempted to murder him. While Saladin was consolidating his power in Syria, he generally left the Crusader kingdom— the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem— alone, although he was usually victorious whenever he did meet the Crusaders in battle. One exception was the Battle of Montgisard in 1177, although he soon recovered and defeated the Crusaders at the Ford of Jacob's Daughters in 1179. However, the Crusaders repeatedly provoked him. Raynald of Chatillon, in particular, harassed Muslim trading and pilgrimage routes with a fleet on the Red Sea, a water route that Saladin needed to keep open. Worse, and what made him a legendary monster in the Muslim world, Raynald threatened to attack the holy cities of Mecca and Medina. Then Raynald looted a caravan of pilgrims on the Hajj in 1185, forcing Saladin's response. In July of 1187, Saladin invaded the Kingdom of Jerusalem and annihilated the Crusader army at the Battle of Hattin, a major disaster for the Crusaders and a turning point in the history of the Crusades. Saladin captured and executed Raynald; he also captured the King, Guy of Lusignan. He then recaptured Jerusalem on October 2, 1187, after 88 years of Crusader rule. Soon he had taken back every Crusader city except Tyre. This was probably because he repeatedly allowed the Christian armies and people to escape there whenever they suffered a defeat. Saladin was essentially sending defense to Tyre against his own army. [[Image:SaladinRexAegypti.jpg|thumb|right|220px|"Saladin, king of Egypt" from a 15th century illuminated manuscript; the "globus cruciger" in his left hand is a European symbol of kingly power.]] Hattin and the fall of Jerusalem prompted the Third Crusade, financed in England by a special "Saladin tithe". This Crusade took back Akko, and Saladin's army met King Richard I of England at the Battle of Arsuf in 1191. Saladin's relationship with Richard was one of chivalrous mutual respect as well as military rivalry; both were celebrated in the courtly romances that developed in northern Europe. When Richard was wounded, Saladin even offered the services of his personal physician, a signal favor, for Muslim medical practice was the best in the Western world. At Arsuf, when Richard lost his horse, Saladin sent him two replacements. They even considered making peace by marrying Richard's sister to Saladin's brother, with Jerusalem to be their dowry, although these negotiations fell through due to religious concerns on both sides. The two came to an agreement over Jerusalem in the treaty of Ramla 1192, whereby it would remain in Muslim hands but would be open to Christian pilgrimages; the treaty reduced the Latin Kingdom to a strip along the coast from Tyre to Joffa. Not long after Richard's departure, Saladin died in 1193 at Damascus. When they opened Saladin's treasury they found there was not enough money to pay for his funeral; he had given his money away to those in need. His tomb, located in the Umayyad mosque, is now a major tourist attraction. ==Recognition== [[Image:ac.saladin.jpg|thumb|200px|A German engraving envisioned Saladin, I love Phoebe as an "Easterner," thus wearing the furs of a Szlachta in Sarmatism garb. Apparently the European artist has been told that a turban is "like" a beehive.]] Despite his fierce opposition to the Christian power (sociology)s, Saladin achieved a great reputation in Europe as a Chivalry knight, so much so that there existed by the 14th century an epic poem about his exploits, and Dante Alighieri included him among the virtuous paganism souls in Limbo. The noble Saladin appears in a sympathetic light in Sir Walter Scott's ''The Talisman'' (1825). In spite of the fact that the Crusaders slaughtered Muslim men, women and children when they conquered Jerusalem, Saladin granted amnesty and free passage to all common Roman Catholics (the Eastern Orthodox Church Christians were treated better, because they opposed the crusades) and even to the defeated Christian army. Despite the differences in beliefs, Saladin was respected by Christian lords, Richard especially. They became almost friends, in a strange sort of way. Richard once praised Saladin as a great prince, saying that he was without doubt the greatest and most powerful leader in the Islamic world. Saladin in his turn stated that he would rather lose Jerusalem to Richard than to anyone else. After the treaty, Saladin and Richard sent each other many gifts as tokens of respect. However, these two military leaders never met face to face. The name Salah ad Din means "Righteousness of the Faith", and through the ages Saladin has been an inspiration for Muslims in many respects. Modern Muslim rulers have sought to capitalize on the reputation of Saladin. A Governorates of Iraq centered around Tikrit in modern Iraq, Salah ad Din, is named after Saladin, and Saddam Hussein, who was born near Tikrit, often portrayed himself as a latter-day Saladin. Few structures associated with Saladin survive within modern cities. Saladin first fortified the Citadel of Cairo (1176 - 1183), which had been a domed pleasure pavilion with a fine view in more peaceful times. In Syria even the smallest cities centered on a defensible citadel, and Saladin introduced this essential feature to Egypt. Among the forts he built was Qalaat Al-Gindi, a mountaintop fortress and caravanserai in the Sinai. The fortress overlooks a large wadi which was the convergence of several caravan routes that linked Egypt and the Middle East. Inside the structure are a number of large vaulted rooms hewn out of rock, including the remains of shops and a water cistern. A notable archaeological site, it was investigated in 1909 by a French team under Jules Barthoux. [http://www.touregypt.net/qalaatgindi.htm] ==See also== * History of early Arab Egypt == External links == * [http://www.palden.co.uk/palden/p4-saladin.html Salah-ad-Din] * [http://numerus.ling.uu.se/~kamalk/language/saladin.html Saladin] * [http://www.fidnet.com/~weid/medievalpeople.htm#saladin Saladin]: several links *[http://medieval.shadowedrealm.com/articles/exclusive/article.php?id=17 Richard and Saladin: Warriors of the Third Crusade] ==Reference== *Alan K. Bowman, ''Egypt After the Pharaohs:'' 1986 1130s births 1193 deaths Crusades Kurdish people History of the Middle East AyyubidsCharacters in the Divine Comedy ms:Salahuddin Al-Ayubbi
Saladin
== Confusion in the article about his name == Was his name Salah al Din or Salah ad Din? -- Euyyn :Or Salah ud Din? Depends on the transliteration...those are all acceptable. As far as I understand it, al- can be assimilated to ad- in Arabic (or an-, or as-, or ar-, depending on the next part). User:Adam Bishop 15:46, 15 May 2005 (UTC) ---- ---- ''An event mentioned in this article is a MediaWiki:May 22 selected anniversaries'' ------- what is the name of the epic poem about saladin, and who wrote it? and who else did dante include among the virtuous pagan souls? User:Kingturtle 17:29 Apr 12, 2003 (UTC) == Saladin as a Kurd == Conflicts with the claim "Kurds never had a state" I know little about the man so please enlighten me --User:Coolcat User talk:Coolcat 16:48, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC) :Well he was ethnically Kurdish, but he didn't rule an independent Kurdish state, it was more like an empire consisting mostly of Turks and Arabs, and some Kurds (and various other people). User:Adam Bishop 20:36, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC) :For the 19th-century idea that every ethnic group deserved its own state, see Romantic nationalism. Saladin's career was broader than his mere ethnicity. --User:Wetman 20:57, 6 Mar 2005 (UTC) Eyyubi Dynasty (1171-1252) :(The following material posted by [[User:144.122.250.231] relating to the Turkish dynasty founded by Saladin commonly referred to in English as the Ayyubid dynasty, gives a vivid impression of the intensity of race-based Turkish nationalism in Turkish popular history. The text has been copied and pasted from the website below.) PS: The historians never mention about the intensity from Turkey's enemies of erasing the turkish history. The turkish nationalism should and can not be associated with distorted history! ''One of the dynasties established by the Turks in the history is the Eyyubi dynasty. This Turkish State has been known as Eyyubi State in the history due to the name of the father of Selahaddin who was the founder of this dynasty. Today, it has been alleged that this Turkish State pertained to an artificial nation in the region with the substitution of the history that they did not have at all. The principal reason for this situation results from the lack of the determination about the lineage of the family before Eyyub's father. Therefore, some historians have been under the influence of the contemporary historians of the period with Arabian roots that tried to relate this dynasty with Arabian identity pursuant to the death of Selahaddin (1193). Therefore, they also tried to relate the origin of Selahaddin Eyyubi with the Arabian identity. On the other hand, particularly the separatist elements and their ideologies allege that this dynasty pertain to any other nation apart from Turks in order to create a new national history for themselves.'' ''Considering the historical realities, we can observe that these allegations do not have any effective basis. The geographical region on which the state was founded is Egypt and its environs. Although most of the people were Arabians, the middle class and the administrative class were under the control of the Turkish majority. Tolunoglu Ahmed had established his own dynasty in the same region before (875) and this dynasty survived until the year of 905. Tolunoglu Ahmed had manufactured its own dynasty in the same region forwards (875) and survived this dynasty until the year of 905. In which region truely this dynasty????????? Most probably in westChina or Siberia ! Afterwards, another Turkish commander, Muhammed Ebu Bekir had established a dynasty called as Ihsidi in the history and this dynasty established dominion in the region between the years of (935-969). Both of the Turkish dynasties had emerged as a result of the policy of Abbasi caliphate that provided the excessive employment of Turkish commanders and Turkish soldiers in the army. Ihsidi State was abolished by the Shiite Fatimi State and Selahaddin Eyyubi came to Egypt as a Turkish commander of Nureddin Mahmud Zengi who was the Tutor of Mosul and abolished the Shiite Fatimi State (1171). Until the death of Nureddin Mahmud to which he had been submissive (1174), Selahaddin had acted as a governor of Nureddin Mahmud. Then, he declared his independence. Izzeddin Aybeg who abolished the Eyyubi Turkish State and established the Turkish Mameluke State in its place was also one of the Turkish commanders in the Turkish army of Egypt. These historical facts obviously indicate that the army and the dynasty were under the dominion of Turks although most of the people were Arabians in the state.'' ''Most of the members of Eyyubi dynasty had had the ancient Turkish names. The name of Selahaddin's brother was Turanshah. The names of his younger brothers were Tugtekin and Böri. The name of Selahaddin's maternal uncle was Sihabeddin Mahmud b. Tukus. Selahaddin's mother was a real Turk. Similarly, one of the wives of Selahaddin, Ismatuddin Amine who was the daughter of Unar Bey was also Turk. His two sister's husbands were also Turks. One of them was Unaroglu Sadeddin Mesut; and the other was Muzafferüddin Gökbörü.'' ''The most conclusive evidence indicating that the Eyyubi dynasty is a Turkish dynasty is the eulogy that Ibn Senâül-mülk, one of the contemporary poets of the period wrote pursuant to the capture of Aleppo by Selahaddin. In one of the couplet of this eulogy, the poet states that: "Arabian nation became sublime with the state of the Turks. The matter of Ehl-i Salip (the Crusades) was eradicated by Eyyub's son." ''The state organisation of the Eyyubi dynasty is the same organisation that was firstly initiated in the Karahanli and Gazneli Turkish states and then developed in the Seljuk States. Tue Sultan, Divan, Meşveret, in other words, the General Assembly, Ustazüddar (the person that manages the duties related with the palace administration, vine works, flavour works, etc.), and the palace organisation including the posts of Registy of inheritance, Armourers, emirahur (emir of colonels), jurisdictional judges for the suits, el-mükebbis (legal official), taşdar (governor of district), the posts of sergeant, etc. are the continuation of the Turkish-Islam states. As it is well known, the institution of chief military judge that managed the administration of justice also remained as the same in the Ottoman State.'' ''The Turkish slaves that were called as Tavasi constituted the foundation and the majority basis of the Eyyubi army. This Turkish army were named in accordance with the commanders to which they pertained such as el-Nuriyye, el-Esediyye, el-Necmiyye, el-Salâhiyye, etc. Among the commanders of this army composd of Turkish Slaves in the period of Selahaddin, there were some Turks such as Bahaeddin Karakûş, Şerefeddin Karakuş el-Takavî, Izzettin Cavlı, Şarimüddin Kutluaba, Hüsameddin Sungur el-Halâtî, etc.'' ''As it is known, one of the symbols of the sovereignty was the flag. The flag of Eyyubi State was in the colour of yellow. Its emblem was the eagle. Eyyubi dynasty had followed the Turkish traditions and they had adopted the colour of light yellow as the colour of their domination. Furthermore, they had included the eagle as a Turkish emblem in their flag. The eagle has also been used as the symbol of the state in Seljuk States, and Artuklu State apart from Eyyubi State.'' ''One of the other symbols of the Turkish sovereignty was the military band of musicians. The military band has also been used in the palace of Eyyubi State in accordance with the Turkish traditions and they would blow trumpets and attract great respect. Moreover, Selahaddin provided the marriage of one of his favourite concubines with the chief bandsman who was one of the high-rank officials in the palace and he showed the respect and value that he attached to this institution.'' ''In the period of the lifetime of Selahaddin, the Eyyubi dynasty had a characteristic quality of a great Turkish-Islam state. Pursuant to the death of Selahaddin, the state was shared among his sons and brothers. Turanshah who was the last Eyyubi ruler in Egypt was annihilated by Aybeg, one of the Turkish Mameluke commanders (1250).'' Salah ad-DIN Jusuf ibn Ajub a Turk??????????????? Eyyubi a Turkish dynasty???????????????????????? Such a muck writes which weak head???????????????? Mameluke protect slaves from different Volker the earth! Eyyubi truely and remains a Kurdish dynasty! Salah ad-DIN Jusuf ibn Ajub is a Kurd! source:http://www.ozturkler.com/data_english/0003/0003_02_15.htm == Saladin's Death == I'm a little bit confused. It says in the article that he died in 1171, yet when you visit the link for May 22 Selected Anniversaries at the top of this page, it says that the Hash-assasins tried to murder him in 1176. If he died in 1171, then how could they attempt to kill him 5 years later. Either the article or the anniversaries page needs to be fixed. --User:Zeerus 18:53, Mar 10, 2005 (UTC) :1171 refers to the death of the Egyptian caliph, which I suppose may be unclear at the moment. I'll fix it. User:Adam Bishop 07:35, 11 Mar 2005 (UTC) Thanks. I figured that out a little bit after I posted it, but I guess it owuld be confusing to people who aren't paying attention. --User:Zeerus 21:35, Mar 21, 2005 (UTC) == knighthood == Are there any historical proof to Gibbon's claim that Saladin had recieved a christian knighthood? --User:Tokle 14:23, 13 May 2005 (UTC) :In ''Decline and Fall'' vol. 6, chapter lix, part i:"his military character was established by the defence of Alexandria; and, if we may believe the Latins, he solicited and obtained from the Christian general the profane honors of knighthood." Gibbon's source was a chronicle; it would be more believable from an ''Arabic'' source.--User:Wetman 17:37, 13 May 2005 (UTC) ::But, Arabic sources would probably be reluctant to mention it if it was true, wouldn't they? (I'm sorry if this might seem prejudiced, that is not my intention). --User:Tokle 13:16, 17 May 2005 (UTC)
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