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Saladin Timeline

(1137 – 1193)

Saladin (1137–1193) was a Muslim military and political leader who founded the Ayyubid dynasty. He united Egypt and Syria, famously defeated the Crusaders at the Battle of Hattin in 1187, and retook Jerusalem, prompting the Third Crusade. He is remembered both in the Muslim world and the West as a chivalrous and skilled commander. Less

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Early Life and Rise

Zengi's army blocked at Tikrit

1132

The defeated army of Zengi, Atabeg of Mosul, found its retreat blocked by the Tigris River opposite the fortress of Tikrit, where Saladin's father, Najm ad-Din Ayyub, served as warden. Ayyub gave Zengi refuge.

Image source: Saladin

Zengi's army blocked at Tikrit

Birth of Saladin

1137

Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, commonly known as Saladin, was born around 1137 into a Kurdish family. He would become a renowned commander and political leader, founder of the Ayyubid dynasty.

Ayyub banished from Tikrit

1137

Mujahid ad-Din Bihruz, military governor of northern Mesopotamia, reprimanded Ayyub for giving Zengi refuge, and banished him from Tikrit after his brother Asad ad-Din Shirkuh killed a friend of Bihruz.

Ayyub appointed commander at Baalbek

1139

Ayyub and his family moved to Mosul, where Imad ad-Din Zengi acknowledged his debt and appointed Ayyub commander of his fortress in Baalbek.

Nur ad-Din becomes leader of the Zengids

1146

After the death of Zengi in 1146, his son Nur ad-Din became the regent of Aleppo and the leader of the Zengid dynasty, later becoming Saladin's master and patron.

Image source: Nur al-Din Zengi

Nur ad-Din becomes leader of the Zengids

Death of Saladin's father Ayyub

Jul 31, 1173 - Aug 9, 1173

On 31 July 1173, Saladin's father Ayyub was wounded in a horse-riding accident, ultimately causing his death on 9 August 1173.

Death of Nur ad-Din

1174

Not long after Nur ad-Din died in 1174, Saladin launched his conquest of Syria, peacefully entering Damascus at the request of its governor.

Marriage to Ismat ad-Din Khatun

1176

Saladin married Ismat ad-Din Khatun, the widow of Nur ad-Din Zengi, in 1176, strengthening his political position in Syria.

Conquest of Egypt and Syria

Shawar driven out of Egypt

1163

Shawar, the vizier to the Fatimid caliph al-Adid, was driven out of Egypt by his rival Dirgham, a member of the powerful Banu Ruzzaik tribe. He asked for military backing from Nur ad-Din, who complied.

Image source: Shawar

Shawar driven out of Egypt

Saladin sent to Fatimid Egypt with Shirkuh

1164

Alongside his uncle Shirkuh, a Kurdish mercenary commander in service of the Zengid dynasty, Saladin was sent to Fatimid Egypt on the orders of Nur ad-Din, as part of an expedition against Dirgham.

Saladin appointed vizier of Egypt

1169

After Shawar was reportedly assassinated by Saladin and Shirkuh died later that year, the Fatimid caliph al-Adid appointed Saladin as vizier of Egypt.

Victory over Crusader-Byzantine force near Damietta

1169

Towards the end of 1169, Saladin, with reinforcements from Nur ad-Din, defeated a massive Crusader-Byzantine force near Damietta, securing Egypt against invasion.

Image source: Siege of Damietta (1169)

Victory over Crusader-Byzantine force near Damietta

Abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate

1171

After al-Adid's death in 1171, Saladin abolished the Cairo-based Isma'ili Fatimid Caliphate and realigned Egypt with the Baghdad-based Sunni Abbasid Caliphate, following encouragement from Nur ad-Din and Najm ad-Din al-Khabushani.

Image source: Fatimid Caliphate

Abolition of the Fatimid Caliphate

Nubian invasion attempts repelled

1173

During the summer of 1173, a Nubian army along with former Fatimid Armenian troops appeared on the Egyptian border preparing to besiege Aswan. The Nubians departed but returned in 1173 and were again driven off.

Arrest of Qadid al-Qaffas in Alexandria

1174

In 1174, Saladin ordered the arrest of a Sufi mystic, Qadid al-Qaffas, in Alexandria.

Turan-Shah conquers Yemen

1174

In 1174, Saladin sent his brother Turan-Shah to conquer Yemen to allocate it and its port Aden to the territories of the Ayyubid Dynasty.

Image source: Turan-Shah

Turan-Shah conquers Yemen

Saladin proclaimed Sultan of Egypt and Syria

1175

After defeating the Zengids, Saladin was proclaimed Sultan of Egypt and Syria by the Abbasid caliph al-Mustadi. He also agreed to truces with the Zengids and the Kingdom of Jerusalem during the summer of 1175.

Image source: Ayyubid dynasty

Saladin proclaimed Sultan of Egypt and Syria

Fortification of the Citadel of Cairo begins

1175 - 1183

Saladin first fortified the Citadel of Cairo between 1175 and 1183, transforming what had been a domed pleasure pavilion into a major defensive stronghold overlooking the city.

Image source: Cairo Citadel

Fortification of the Citadel of Cairo begins

Capture of Homs citadel

Mar 1175

Soon after entering Hama and Homs' region, Saladin captured the citadel of Homs in March 1175 after stubborn resistance from its defenders.

Image source: Homs

Capture of Homs citadel

Battle of the Horns of Hama

Apr 13, 1175

On 13 April 1175, the Zengid troops marched to attack Saladin's forces, but soon found themselves surrounded by Saladin's Ayyubid veterans, who crushed them at the Battle of the Horns of Hama.

Assassination attempt by thirteen Assassins

May 11, 1175

On 11 May 1175, a group of thirteen Assassins easily gained admission into Saladin's camp but were detected immediately before they carried out their attack by Nasih ad-Din Khumartekin of Abu Qubays.

Image source: Order of Assassins

Assassination attempt by thirteen Assassins

Campaign in the an-Nusayriyah range

Aug 1176

As soon as he dispatched the bulk of his troops to Egypt, Saladin led his army into the an-Nusayriyah range in August 1176, facing threats from the Order of Assassins led by Rashid ad-Din Sinan.

Skirmishes under the walls of Homs

1178

In the spring of 1178, Saladin was encamped under the walls of Homs, and a few skirmishes occurred between his generals and the Crusader army.

Reception for the Artuqid emir of Keyfa

Jun 1180

In June 1180, Saladin hosted a reception for Nur ad-Din Muhammad, the Artuqid emir of Keyfa, at Geuk Su, presenting him and his brother Abu Bakr with gifts valued at over 100,000 dinars according to Imad ad-Din.

Return to Cairo

1181

Leaving Farrukh-Shah in charge of Syria, Saladin returned to Cairo at the beginning of 1181. Later that summer, his former palace administrator Baha ad-Din Qaraqush arrested Majd ad-Din in Cairo.

Image source: Cairo

Return to Cairo

Completion of the conquest of Syria

1182

By 1182, Saladin had completed the conquest of Syria after capturing Aleppo but failed to take over the Zengid stronghold of Mosul. He arrived at Raqqa, an important crossing point, on 10 November 1182.

Image source: Aleppo

Completion of the conquest of Syria

Departure from Cairo for Syria

May 11, 1182

On 11 May 1182, Saladin, along with half of the Egyptian Ayyubid army and numerous non-combatants, left Cairo for Syria. The truce with the Zengids officially ended in September 1182.

Coalition sues for peace at Harran

Feb 1183

Saladin and his army met the coalition at Harran in February 1183, but on hearing of his approach, the coalition sent messengers to Saladin asking for peace.

Image source: Harran

Coalition sues for peace at Harran

Renewed attacks on Mosul territory

1185 - Mar 1186

Following the failure of his Kerak sieges, Saladin resumed attacks on the territory of Izz ad-Din around Mosul. However, Mas'ud allied with the governor of Azerbaijan and Jibal, who began moving troops across the Zagros Mountains in 1185. Saladin fell ill, and in March 1186 a peace treaty was signed.

Image source: Mosul

Renewed attacks on Mosul territory

Execution of Yahya al-Suhrawardi

1191

In 1191, Saladin ordered his son to execute the Sufi philosopher Yahya al-Suhrawardi, the founder of the Illuminationist current in Muslim philosophy, in Aleppo.

Image source: Shihab al-Din Yahya ibn Habash Suhrawardi

Execution of Yahya al-Suhrawardi

Conflict with the Crusaders

Siege of Darum and capture of Gaza

1170

After establishing himself in Egypt, Saladin launched a campaign against the Crusaders, besieging Darum in 1170. He evaded Amalric's Templar garrison from Gaza and captured Gaza in that campaign period.

Image source: Deir al-Balah

Siege of Darum and capture of Gaza

Raid into Palestine

Nov 1177

In November 1177, Saladin set out upon a raid into Palestine; the Crusaders had recently forayed into the territory of Damascus, so Saladin saw the truce as no longer worth preserving.

Image source: Battle of Montgisard

Raid into Palestine

Fall of Jacob's Ford fortress

Aug 30, 1179

In summer 1179, King Baldwin had set up an outpost at Jacob's Ford commanding the approach to the Banias plain. Saladin moved to besiege the fortress, which fell on 30 August 1179.

Image source: Chastelet

Fall of Jacob's Ford fortress

Truce proposals with Kingdom of Jerusalem

1180

In the spring of 1180, while Saladin was in the area of Safad anxious to commence a vigorous campaign against the Kingdom of Jerusalem, King Baldwin sent messengers to him with proposals of peace.

Attack on Beisan and siege of Kerak

Sep 29, 1183 - 1184

On 29 September 1183, Saladin crossed the Jordan River to attack Beisan, which was found empty. After an unsuccessful campaign into Galilee in 1183, he opened his campaign of 1184 with a second siege of Kerak, but the Crusaders relieved the fortress.

Image source: Kerak Castle

Attack on Beisan and siege of Kerak

Battle of Hattin

Jul 4, 1187

On 4 July 1187, Saladin faced the combined forces of Guy of Lusignan, King Consort of Jerusalem, and Raymond III of Tripoli at the decisive Battle of Hattin, crushing the Crusader army and re-establishing Muslim military dominance in the Levant.

Image source: Battle of Hattin

Battle of Hattin

Capture of Jerusalem

Oct 2, 1187

Jerusalem capitulated to Saladin's forces on Friday, 2 October 1187, after a siege. Despite the Crusaders' slaughter when they originally conquered Jerusalem in 1099, Saladin granted amnesty and free passage to common Catholics and even to the defeated Christian army, provided they could pay ransom.

Image source: Siege of Jerusalem (1187)

Capture of Jerusalem

Third Crusade launched

1188 - 1192

Hattin and the fall of Jerusalem prompted the Third Crusade (1189–1192), partially financed by a special 'Saladin tithe' in 1188. In 1188 at Tortosa, Saladin released Guy of Lusignan; in 1189, Guy and Sibylla were refused admission to Tyre by Conrad.

Image source: Third Crusade

Third Crusade launched

Battle of Arsuf

Sep 7, 1191

The armies of Saladin engaged in combat with the army of King Richard at the Battle of Arsuf on 7 September 1191, at which Saladin's forces suffered heavy losses and were forced to withdraw. In October 1191, Richard began restoring inland castles beyond Jaffa.

Image source: Battle of Arsuf

Battle of Arsuf

Richard's advance stalls near Jerusalem

Jan 1192

In January 1192, Richard's army occupied Beit Nuba, just twelve miles from Jerusalem, but withdrew without attacking the Holy City.

Battle of Jaffa

Jul 1192

In July 1192, Saladin tried to threaten Richard's command of the coast by attacking Jaffa. The Battle of Jaffa proved to be the last military engagement of the Third Crusade.

Image source: Battle of Jaffa (1192)

Battle of Jaffa

Legacy and Cultural Depictions

Death of Saladin

Mar 4, 1193

Saladin died of a fever on 4 March 1193 at Damascus, having given away much of his personal wealth to his subjects. He is buried in a mausoleum adjacent to the Umayyad Mosque.

Saladin praised by Walther von der Vogelweide

1202 - 1203

As early as 1202/03, Walther von der Vogelweide urged the German King Philip of Swabia to be more like Saladin, who believed that a king's hands should have holes to let the gold fall through.

Image source: Walther von der Vogelweide

Saladin praised by Walther von der Vogelweide

Dante places Saladin in limbo

1308 - 1320

In The Divine Comedy (1308–1320), Dante mentions Saladin as one of the virtuous non-Christians in limbo, and he is also depicted favorably in Boccaccio's The Decameron (1438–53).

Image source: Divine Comedy

Dante places Saladin in limbo

Lessing's Nathan the Wise

1779

Although Saladin faded into history after the Middle Ages, he appears in a sympathetic light in modern literature, first in Lessing's play Nathan the Wise (1779).

Image source: Nathan the Wise

Lessing's Nathan the Wise

Scott's The Talisman published

1825

Published in 1825, Sir Walter Scott's novel The Talisman is set during the Third Crusade and centres on the relationship between Richard I of England and Saladin. It more than any other single text influenced the romantic view of Saladin as a liberal European gentleman.

Image source: The Talisman (Scott novel)

Scott's The Talisman published

Wilhelm II visits Saladin's tomb

1898

In 1898, Wilhelm II, the German emperor, visited Saladin's tomb to pay his respects and donated a new marble sarcophagus to the mausoleum.

Image source: Mausoleum of Saladin

Wilhelm II visits Saladin's tomb

Saladin in early cinema

1935 - 1954

In Cecil B. DeMille's 1935 epic, Saladin is portrayed by Ian Keith as the noble adversary of King Richard; Ghazi Salahuddin, a 1939 Indian drama film, followed; and in King Richard and the Crusaders (1954), Saladin was played by Rex Harrison.

Image source: The Crusades (1935 film)

Saladin in early cinema

Saladin the Victorious film released

1963

Saladin the Victorious, a 1963 Egyptian war drama film directed by Youssef Chahine, depicted Saladin's life and the Battle of Hattin, becoming one of the most famous cinematic portrayals of the leader.

Image source: Saladin the Victorious

Saladin the Victorious film released

Saladin in Doctor Who and documentaries

1965 - 1995

Saladin was portrayed by Bernard Kay in the 1965 Doctor Who serial 'The Crusade', and by Kammy Darweish in Terry Jones' 1995 documentary mini-series Crusades.

Image source: The Crusade (Doctor Who)

Saladin in Doctor Who and documentaries

Statue of Saladin unveiled in Damascus

1992

The Statue of Saladin is an oversize equestrian bronze statue depicting Saladin located in front of the 11th century Citadel of Damascus in the Ancient City of Damascus, Syria, commemorating his recapture of Jerusalem.

Image source: Statue of Saladin

Statue of Saladin unveiled in Damascus

Modern novels about Saladin

1998 - 2000

The Book of Saladin (1998) by Tariq Ali is a novel based on Saladin's life, and Jan Guillou's Crusades trilogy (1998–2000) features the era of the Crusades in which Saladin figures prominently.

Image source: The Book of Saladin

Modern novels about Saladin

Salah ad-Deen Al-Ayyobi TV series

2001

Salah ad-Deen Al-Ayyobi, a 2001 TV series, dramatized the life of Salah ad-Din for Arabic-speaking audiences.

Kingdom of Heaven portrays Saladin

2005

In Ridley Scott's 2005 epic historical drama Kingdom of Heaven, Saladin was played by Ghassan Massoud, presenting him as a wise and honorable leader.

Image source: Kingdom of Heaven (film)

Kingdom of Heaven portrays Saladin

Saladin in video games

2015

Saladin appears in the grand strategy game series Crusader Kings, including in Crusader Kings III where Salah al-Din Yusuf leads the Ayyubid Sultanate in the 'Swords of Faith' campaign set in 1178.

Image source: Crusader Kings III

Saladin in video games

Kudüs Fatihi: Selahaddin Eyyubi TV series

2023 - 2025

Kudüs Fatihi: Selahaddin Eyyubi (Saladin: The Conqueror of Jerusalem), a Turkish TV series airing 2023–2025, portrays Salahuddin al-Ayyubi played by Uğur Güneş, continuing Saladin's enduring cultural significance amid modern Arab nationalism and the Arab–Israeli conflict.

Key Facts

  1. Saladin was born in Tikrit (in modern-day Iraq) in 1137 to a Kurdish family.
  2. He served under the Zengid dynasty before becoming Sultan of Egypt in 1174 and later uniting Egypt and Syria under his rule.
  3. In 1187, Saladin decisively defeated the Crusader forces at the Battle of Hattin, opening the way for the capture of Jerusalem.
  4. His success at Hattin triggered the Third Crusade (1189–1192), during which he faced King Richard the Lionheart in a series of battles ending in a truce that left Jerusalem in Muslim hands.
  5. Saladin died in Damascus in 1193 and is renowned for his generosity, piety, and chivalry toward his enemies.

Source

This Saladin timeline was generated with the help of AI, using information found on the internet.

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