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On the remains of Phoenician, Greek and Roman buildings, the Crusaders
erected a fortress in 1108. Saladin took over in 1188 and the Mamelukes
occupied it the same year. It is not just the castle that makes a visit
worthwhile. Much of it is due to the site, a ridge between two
spectacular ravines leading down from the reaches of the Jebel Ansarye
and covered with a variety of wallflowers in spring. Standing on the top
one can see the Mediterranean sea on clear days. This area is a perfect
place to go for a walk and the green environment makes one forget that
one is in Syria.
About Saladin
Saladin (1138-1193), Muslim leader, who recaptured Jerusalem from the
Crusaders.
Born in Tikrit, Iraq, Saladin, as he is known in the West, was a Kurd;
his Arabic name is Salah ad-Din Yusuf. At the age of 14 he joined other
members of his family (the Ayyubids) in the service of the Syrian ruler
Nur ad-Din.
Between 1164 and 1169 he distinguished himself in three expeditions sent
by Nur ad-Din to aid the decadent Fatimid rulers of Egypt against
attacks by the Christian Crusaders based in Palestine. In 1169 he was
made commander in chief of the Syrian army and vizier of Egypt.
Although nominally subject to the authority of the Fatimid caliph in
Cairo, Saladin treated Egypt as an Ayyubid power base, relying mainly on
his Kurdish family and supporters. Having revitalized Egypt's economy
and reorganized its land and naval forces, Saladin repelled the
Crusaders and took the offensive against them. In September 1171 he
suppressed the dissident Fatimid regime, reuniting Egypt with the
orthodox Abbasid caliphate, but his reluctance to cooperate with Nur
ad-Din against the Crusaders brought him to the brink of war with his
former master.
After Nur ad-Din's death in 1174, Saladin expanded his power in Syria
and northern Mesopotamia, mainly at the expense of his Muslim rivals.
Following the submission of Damascus (1174), Halab (Aleppo) (1183), and
Mosul (1186), numerous Muslim armies, allied under Saladin's command,
were ready to move against the Crusaders. In 1187 he invaded the Latin
kingdom of Jerusalem, defeated the Christians at Hittin in Galilee (July
4), and captured Jerusalem the following October. In 1189 the nations of
western Europe launched the Third Crusade to win back the holy city.
Despite Saladin's relentless military and diplomatic efforts a Christian
land and naval blockade forced the surrender of the Palestinian
stronghold of Acre (now 'Akko) in 1191, but the Crusaders failed to
follow up this victory in their quest for Jerusalem. In 1192 Saladin
concluded an armistice agreement with King Richard I of England that
allowed the Crusaders to reconstitute their kingdom along the
Palestinian-Syrian coast but left Jerusalem in Muslim hands. On March 4,
1193, Saladin died in Damascus after a brief illness.
Muslim historiography has immortalized Saladin as a paragon of princely
virtue. He has held enduring fascination for Western writers, including
modern novelists.
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