Saladin

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Salāḥ ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb (Arabic: صلاح الدين يوسف إبن أيوب), better known as simply Salāḥ ad-Dīn or Saladin (c. 1138 - 4 March 1193), was the Sultan of the Ayyubid Caliphate and commander of the Muslim armies and lands arrayed against the invading Richard the Lionheart. Though he never makes a direct appearance in the game he is, however, referenced frequently by other characters. At the beginning of the Third Crusade, Saladin and his men defeated Guy of Lusignan, King of Jerusalem (who would later ally with King Richard in the Siege of Acre), and Raynald of Chatillon at the Battle of Hattin, where he destroyed the entire army of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Following that tremendous victory, Saladin moved on to secure most of the cities and fortresses of the Kingdom of Jerusalem and in 1187, he conquered Jerusalem itself. Following the arrival of Richard, Saladin went to fight against him. After being defeated three times in Acre, Arsuf and Jaffa by Richard, Saladin signed a treaty which allowed unarmed Christian pilgrims to visit the holy city.

Saladin died on March 4, 1193. He is buried in Umayyad Mosque, Damascus, Syria. He is considered a hero in the Muslim world and is also respected by his Christian counterparts.

Trivia

• "Ṣalāḥ ad-Dīn" means "Righteousness of our Religion/Faith". He acquired the title after expressing his early intentions for conquering Jeruselum to his mentor, Imad El-Din Zinki, another Muslim conqueror.
• Though he never appears in the game, there is concept art of his character (in the limited edition artbook and the official strategy guide) hinting that he was originally going to appear in the story, possibly at Arsuf.
• In-game, the Crusaders (such as Robert de Sable and the Acre heralds) use the European pronunciation of "Salla-din", while the Saracens (such as the Damascus and Jerusalem heralds) use the Arabic pronunciation of "Sa-lah-ah-din".