Saladin Ayyubi, the founder and first ruler of the Ayyubid State, is an Islamic leader known for his struggle to retake Jerusalem. Saladin Ayyubi, who came from a Muslim family, was born in 1137 in Tikrit. He started a military career at a young age and eventually became the vizier of the Fatimid caliph in Egypt. He was instrumental not only as a military leader, but also in the establishment of an orderly and modern state. Hundreds of madrasas, hospitals and mosques were built during his period and science reached its peak in the Islamic world.
Saladin has become an important name in Muslim, Kurdish, Arab and Turkish cultures, and “Conqueror of Jerusalemreferred to as “. Moreover “servant of the two holy mosquesHe is also known as the first person to have the title ”. Saladin Ayyubi is a leader who has shown the power of the Islamic world to Europe by destroying the Crusader presence in the Middle East. The tomb of Saladin, who died in Damascus on March 4, 1193, is located next to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus.
Saladin Ayyubi, Jerusalem and in Iraq as well as in the Islamic world, it is remembered with great respect and love. The province of Salahaddin, to which Tikrit city center is connected, was named after Salahaddin Ayyubi, where he was born. Saladin was seen as an ideal sultan among Muslims, while the Crusaders appreciated him as a true Islamic hero. Both Eastern and Western historians and writers have spoken highly of Saladin.
Especially the French historian Albert Champdor described Saladin Ayyubi for his bravery and fairness to his enemies.purest hero of islamdescribed as ”. Saladin kept his promises despite everything and loved to forgive. Ibn Jubayr reported that he said, “I like to err on pardon more than to punish rightly.” He certainly did not punish those he entrusted, and he maintained this attitude even in years of war with the Crusaders.
Saladin is also known as a generous sultan. When he died, only 1 Egyptian dinar and 36 Nasiri dirhams were found in his private treasury. This shows that he has adopted a simple lifestyle and does not attach importance to his property.
End of Fatimid Caliphate
Saladin Ayyubi; He participated in the expeditions to Egypt under the rule of Fatimids in 1164 and 1169 under the command of his uncle, Esedüddin Şirkuh, who was the army commander of the Great Seljuks Atabey of Aleppo Nureddin Zengi. His outstanding achievements in these expeditions made him stand out as a master commander and statesman. He served as the commander of Zengi’s army in Egypt, and ruled Egypt and its subordinates as an independent ruler as his deputy. After dominating Egypt, he started a struggle with the Fatimids, who resisted him and the Turks, and the Crusaders and Byzantines who supported them.
Saladin reorganized his army in Egypt and opened Sunni madrasas and new institutions. He also abolished the Fatimid caliphate in 1171 by liquidating the Fatimid bureaucracy. Selahaddin Eyyubi, who went on expeditions against the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1170 and 1173, also made these regions a province of the state with the expeditions he organized in 1173 under the command of his elder brother Turan Shah to Yemen and Hejaz.
After the death of Nureddin Mahmud Zengi, his 11-year-old son El-Melikü’s-Salih İsmail succeeded him. Saladin remained loyal to Salih and gave sermons on his behalf and minted coins. After the death of Salih at a young age, Saladin moved to the east of the Euphrates in 1181 and captured the cities of the al-Jazeera region such as Diyarbakir, Urfa, Harran, Raqqa, Habur, Re’sul’ayn, Dara and Nusaybin, which have strategic importance in Aleppo. He also captured Jerusalem and opened the way to Jerusalem.
Salahaddin Ayyubi’s declaring himself the “Sultan of Egypt” by overthrowing the Fatimid State in Egypt and connecting the Islamic caliphate to the Sunni Abbasid caliphate in Baghdad is also considered an important turning point. The Ayyubid State, founded by Saladin, at the height of his power, included Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Cezire (Upper Mesopotamia), Hejaz, Yemen, parts of North Africa and Nubia.
Conquest of Jerusalem
Saladin Ayyubi was a leader who had many legends about the period before the conquest of Jerusalem, and he always planned to liberate the holy city from Crusader captivity one day. “How can I laugh when Jerusalem is under occupation…” Selahaddin Eyyubi, who was remembered with his words, took action to end the occupation in Jerusalem after establishing the Ayyubid state. The army of Islam was founded on July 4, 1187, in northern Israel. Lake Tiberias He came face to face with the army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. In the battle that went down in history as the “Battle of Hattin”, the Islamic army won a victory thanks to the military genius of Saladin.
The Battle of Hattin, in which the military power of the Kingdom of Jerusalem was largely destroyed, opened the way to the conquest of Jerusalem. Saladin besieged occupied Jerusalem on September 20, 1187, approximately 2.5 months after the Hittin victory. The famous commander paid great attention to not harming Jerusalem and to protect the holy city. “I have a great belief that Jerusalem is one of the places that Allah considers holy. I do not want to attack and enter this town, which you also believe to be sacred, by the means required by siege and war.” used the phrases. During the siege, the defense by Balian of Ibelin failed. Balian surrendered Jerusalem to the Ayyubids on October 2, 1187, thus ending the 88-year Crusader occupation of Jerusalem.
After the conquest; destroyed by the Crusaders Masjid al-AqsaSaladin swept the city with his own hands and washed it with rose oil. He removed the Christian symbols in the Haram and thus purified the holy place of Islam from Christians. After the lowering of the cross in the Dome of the Rock, the call to prayer, which could not be heard for 88 years, began to echo again in the skies of Jerusalem.
This victory won the European Christians III. He led the Crusade to organize. Saladin Ayyubi III. He also fought against the Crusades and carried out military operations against the Crusader states. Although he was defeated by the English King Richard I in the Battle of Arsuf in 1191, he managed to keep control of Jerusalem thanks to the Treaty of Ramla.
