Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, commonly known as Saladin, was a Kurdish commander and political leader. He was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, he spearheaded the Muslim military effort against the Crusader states in the Levant. At the height of his power, the Ayyubid realm spanned Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, the Hejaz, Yemen, and Nubia.

From Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Notable quotes

“This is a victory opening the gates of men’s hearts.”
— Letter to al-‘Adil, after the Crusaders abandoned their position near Hama and drew back to Ḥiṣn al-Akrād (1174). Abū Shāma, ed. Aḥmad and Ziyāda, vol. 1 (1958) p. 614. Lyons and Jackson (1982) ch. 6, p. 89
“This Yemen is a treasure house...We conquered it, but up to this day we have had no return and no advantage from it. There have only been innumerable expenses, the sending out of troops...and expectations which did not produce what was hoped for in the end.”
— Letter to al-‘Adil (c. 1181). Berlin 56. Lyons and Jackson (1982) ch. 11, p. 159
“Children are brought up in the way in which their elders were brought up.”
— Munich 113. Lyons and Jackson (1982) ch. 1, p. 3

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

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Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, commonly known as Saladin, was a Kurdish commander and political leader. He was the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty and the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria. An important figure of the Third Crusade, he spearheaded the Muslim military effort against the Crusader states in the Levant. At the height of his power, the Ayyubid realm spanned Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, the Hejaz, Yemen, and Nubia.