Saladin

The ‘Ayyubid’ ruler had several sons, of whom, the most famous are, al-Afdal, Az-Zahir Ghazi, Uthman, Mas'ud, and Yaq'ub.

On March 4, 1193, the great ruler of the ‘Ayyubids’ succumbed to a fever, in Damascus, Syria. Known for his generosity, he had distributed his wealth amongst the poor, and now lies buried outside the 'Umayyad Mosque'.

Saladin was born Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb, to Najm ad-Din Ayyub and his wife, in the year 1138, at Tikrit, Iraq. The following year, the family travelled to the city of Mosul, and was given shelter by the ruler Imad ad-Din Zengi.

Saladin later grew up in Damascus, Syria, and is known to have had a vast knowledge of philosophy, religion, science and mathematics. He also knew a lot about Arabs, their history, culture, heritage, and Arabian horses. Apart from that, he was well-versed in poetry, especially ones written by Arab poet Abu Tammam.

When Imad ad-Din Zengi died, his son, Nur ad-Din took over the throne, and Saladin's uncle, Asad al-Din Shirkuh served as a commander of the ‘Zengid’ army. It was under uncle Shirkuh's supervision, that the young boy learnt military tactics and strategies.

Shawar, the vizier of the ‘Fatimid Caliphate’ approached Nur ad-Din to help him in his struggle against rival leader Dirgham. Nur ad-Din obliged, and sent an army led by Shirkuh, to assist Shawar in the fight. Shirkuh and Shawar were accompanied by Saladin, but the latter did not have much of a role to play in the minor battle.

In 1164, the ‘Zengid Dynasty’ waged a war against the Crusader-Egyptian army that had attacked and captured the city of Bilbais. The army of the ‘Zengids’ were partly led by Shirkuh, while the other two sections were led by Saladin, and the Kurds, respectively.

Soon, Shawar, the vizier of the ‘Fatimid Caliphate’, faced former ally Shirkuh in a war to gain control over Egypt. Shawar was assassinated in 1169, by Shirkuh's men, and the latter died soon thereafter, leaving Nur ad-Din in a dilemma about who would succeed his trusted general.

Though Nur ad-Din had chosen someone else, the Caliph, al-Adid decided that Saladin was to be his vizier. This choice was quite unusual, since the Caliphate was ruled by Shia Muslims, and the new vizier was a Sunni.

By 1170, the young vizier had consolidated his power over most of Egypt, with support from Nur ad-Din, and the Caliph of the ‘Abbasid Dynasty’, al-Mustanjid. One of his major battles during this time was the war waged against the King of Jerusalem, Amalric, in a bid to capture the cities of Darum and Gaza.

When al-Adid died in 1171, it was Saladin who took over as ruler of the ‘Fatimid Dynasty’, and the latter formed an association with the ‘Abbasid Caliphate’.

In 1173, the ruler of Aswan requested the new leader's assistance to ward off invaders from Nubia. Saladin obliged, and provided the former, troops led by Turan-Shah. The same year, his father, Ayyub succumbed to an injury resulting from a fall from his horse.

Saladin is credited with the founding of the ‘Ayyubid Dynasty’, named after his father. The dynasty, under their Sultan’s leadership, was successful in conquering and uniting Syria, and recapturing Palestine, after it was held by the Crusaders for eighty-eight years.