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Saladin

Saladin

1137 CE1193 CE · Tikrit

Saladin (Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, 1137-1193) was a commander of Kurdish origin who rose to power in Egypt, ended Fatimid rule, and founded the Ayyubid dynasty, becoming sultan of Egypt and Syria in 1174. In 1187 he decisively defeated the Crusader armies at the Battle of Hattin and shortly afterward recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders, who had held it since 1099. His victories prompted the Third Crusade, during which he contended with Richard I of England before a truce was reached in 1192. He died at Damascus in 1193, and his realm was divided among his relatives.

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Stop 1 of 81137Born Into A Kurdish Family

Tikrit

What they did here

Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub was born in Tikrit, on the Tigris in present-day Iraq, where his father served as governor of the citadel.

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