Saladin
Ayyubid dynasty founder
Saladin was a 12th-century sultan who founded the Ayyubid dynasty and united much of the Muslim world.
He is best known for recapturing Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187.
In Western culture, Saladin became a symbol of chivalric virtue—even among his enemies—representing the honorable warrior who treats defeated foes with mercy and dignity.
Triply sacred ancient capital
- Richard the LionheartPlantagenet crusader king
- Third CrusadeLate twelfth-century holy war
- AcreNorthern Israeli port city
- Holy LandSacred ground, three faiths
Knights Templar · Outremer · siege · Saracens · Tiberias · truce · ransom · negotiation
Egyptian capital city
- DamascusSyrian seat of government
- EgyptNortheastern African nation
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
- KurdishIranian language group
dynasty · vizier · unification · Mosul · administration · taxation · citadel · court
High regard, moral dignity
- magnanimityGenerous, noble spirit
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
- gallantryCourage, especially in combat
- nobilityTitled ruling class
virtue · courtesy · generosity · respect · knightly · parley · safe conduct · clemency
Quranic monotheistic religion
- jihadIslamic struggle, inner or outer
- SunniIslam's largest branch adherent
- Al-Aqsa MosqueJerusalem's silver-domed shrine
- Dome of the RockIslamic shrine on Temple Mount
pilgrimage · holy sites · restoration · Quran · piety · religious unity · sacred · Mecca
Jerusalem
Triply sacred ancient capital
- Richard the LionheartPlantagenet crusader king
- Third CrusadeLate twelfth-century holy war
- AcreNorthern Israeli port city
Holy Land · Knights Templar · Outremer · siege · Saracens · Tiberias · truce · ransom · negotiation · counterattack
Cairo
Egyptian capital city
- DamascusSyrian seat of government
- EgyptNortheastern African nation
- SyriaLevant country, capital Damascus
Kurdish · dynasty · vizier · unification · Mosul · administration · taxation · citadel · court · succession
honor
High regard, moral dignity
- magnanimityGenerous, noble spirit
- mercyCompassion toward offenders
- gallantryCourage, especially in combat
nobility · virtue · courtesy · generosity · respect · knightly · parley · safe conduct · clemency · humanitarian
Islam
Quranic monotheistic religion
- jihadIslamic struggle, inner or outer
- SunniIslam's largest branch adherent
- Al-Aqsa MosqueJerusalem's silver-domed shrine
Dome of the Rock · pilgrimage · holy sites · restoration · Quran · piety · religious unity · sacred · Mecca · Medina
legend
Unverified traditional tale
defender · unity · symbol · revered · commemorated · folklore · epic · renowned · immortalized · exemplar
- holy warriorscrusader, paladin, holy knight, jihadi, mujahideen
- Medieval FiguresGenghis Khan, Joan of Arc, Marco Polo, William the Conqueror, Dante
- Ayyubid Figures
- Crusade FiguresIsabella I, Richard the Lionheart, Philip II
- Islamic LeadersUmar, Ali, Harun al-Rashid, Ibrahim, Suleiman
- World LeadersChurchill, Winston Churchill, Eisenhower, Gorbachev, Thatcher
SaladinRichard the Lionheart
Plantagenet crusader king
Richard I · Frederick Barbarossa · Knights Templar · Knights Hospitaller · Charlemagne