Selahaddin Eyyubi

Founder and the first sultan of Ayyubid dynasty, hero of Islam, known with his struggle against the crusades (B. 1138, Tikrît – D. March 4^th, 1193, Damascus). His full name was Ebü'l-Muzaffer el-Melikü'n-Nâsır Salâhuddîn Yûsuf b. Najm ad-Din Ayyub b. Şâdî. Although there is no precise information on his ethnic background, there are sources which state that he was of Kurdish origin, Turkish origin and Arabian origin.

He was the son of Najm ad-Din Ayyub, who was the governor of Tikrît, Baalbek and Damascus, and the grandson of Şadî. Upon his grandfather’s death, his father had settled in Mosul taking his family with himself and was taken under Nur ad-Din Zangi’s protection. Salahuddin Ayyubi, who lived his childhood in Mosul and Damascus, received mainly sufi education but studied science and arts as well. He graduated from Dar-ul Hadith (Hadith University) in Damascus. He participated in the expeditions against Crusaders when he was young and became a government official of Damascus. He attracted attention with his success in the expedition on Egypt under the command of his uncle Shirkuh between the years 1164 and 1169. After the expedition Egypt the Fatimid caliphate appointed Shirkuh as the vizier. When Shirkuh died two months later, the Caliph appointed Salahuddin Ayyubi as vizier. Salahuddin Ayyubi, who had also undertaken the command of Nur ad-Din Mahmud Zangi’s army in Egypt, started to govern Egypt and cities affiliated to Egypt by the permission of Zangi. After having Egypt under his control he had started to struggle against Fatimids, who resisted against him and against Turks, and Crusaders, who supported those Fatimids. Crusaders besieged Damietta but they could not achieve any success. Salahuddin Ayyubi reorganized the army. He opened Sunni madrasahs and new institutions. He gradually eliminated the Fatimid bureaucracy and in 1171 by the order of Nur ad-Din Zangi he ended the Fatimid caliphate.

Salahuddin Ayyubi made expeditions on Kingdom of Jerusalem between the years of 1170 and 1173. After Busrâ and Havran, he took over Balebek, Humus and Hama as well. Aleppo-Mosul alliance started a resistance against him with the support of Crusaders and Hashashins. In 1176, by defeating the forces of Mosul-Aleppo he captured some forts around Aleppo. In the meantime, his sultanate was acknowledged by the Abbasid caliphate and thus his dominion over Syria and Egypt was approved. After a while, Atabeg of Mosul took advantage of Salahuddin Ayyubi’s presence in Egypt and took control of Aleppo. Salahuddin Ayyubi went to the east of Euphrates by moving from Cairo to Syria. He captured Urfa, Harran, Rakka, Habur, Resülayn, Dârâ and Nusaybin. Artuqid Emir Nur ad-Din Muhammad, who joined Salahuddin Ayyubi, asked him to capture Amed (Diyarbakır) and to give it to him. Salahuddin Ayyubi, who obtained the approval of Abbasid caliph when he reached Harzem, marched on Amed and capturing the city he gave it to Nur ad-Din Muhammad (1183). Thus, Amed was taken over by Ayyubids. Afterwards, he besieged Aleppo. Imad ad-Din Zangi II, who was the ruler of the city at that time, decided on making an agreement after resisting for a while. He gave Aleppo to Salahuddin Ayyubi in return for Sincar, Habur, Nusaybin and Serüc and he accepted to be subordinated to him (June 11^th, 1183).

Salahuddin Ayyubi, who saved the empire from falling to pieces and strived to ensure the Islamic unity in the Middle East on one hand, struggled against the Crusaders on the other hand. Crusaders, who asked for peace upon the expedition Salahuddin Ayyubi, made on Gaza -Askalan in 1177-79, attacked Syrian lands (1182-85) during the expeditions Salahuddin Ayyubi made on Mosul and Aleppo. The pitched battle that was fought against the Crusaders in Hittîn resulted in the great victory of Salahuddin Ayyubi.

Salahuddin Ayyubi, who initiated a rapid conquest movement after his victory in Hittîn, captured many forts in Palestine including Akkâ, Askalan, Nablus, Remle and Gaza. Afterwards, he besieged Jerusalem and conquered it on October 2^nd, 1187, on a Friday that coincided with Miraj (T. N. Ascension of Prophet Muhammad to heaven). After a year, all the forts except Sûr were captured by Ayyubids. Upon the loss of Jerusalem and many forts, a new Crusade was called, which was joined by the Western European countries. Crusaders besieged Akkâ in 1189. After wars that lasted for two years, Akkâ was captured by the Crusaders in 1191 as the King of France, Emperor of Germany and King of England joined the war with their armies and navies. They attempted to capture Jerusalem but failed against Salahuddin Ayyubi’s army. In 1192, a peace treaty, which was going to last for three years and eight months, was signed between the two sides.

Salahuddin Ayyubi passed away in Damascus a short while after he had signed the treaty with the Crusaders. Khutbah was delivered in his name in Egypt, Libya, Yemen, Palestine, Syria and Ahlat. His oldest son, el-Melükü’l-Efdal Ali, succeeded him. Salahuddin Ayyubi, who prevented the ideological dissolution in the region by eliminating the Fatimid caliphate with the strong army and state organization he established, made his mark and took his place among the heroes of Islam by saving Jerusalem from the Crusaders. The political unity, which was established by Salahuddin Ayyubi and which covered a vast land, continued with the Mamelukes after Ayyubids, it came to an end when Yavuz Sultan Selim captured Cairo. Mehmed Akif Ersoy described him as “The most beloved sultan of the East” and French Historian Champdor described him as “The purest hero of Islam”.

In the film Kingdom of Heaven, which was shot in 2005, Salahuddin Ayyubi was played by the Syrian actor Hasan Mesut. Previously, in 1935, in the film The Crusades, directed by Cecil B. DeMille, he was played by Ian Keith and in 1954, in the film King Richard and the Crusaders, directed by David Butler, he was played by the lead actor Rex Harrison.

REFERENCE: Zeki Velidi Togan / Umumî Türk Tarihine Giriş (c. 1, 1981), Seyyide İsmâil Kâşif / Salâhuddîn el-Eyyûbî (1986), Kemal Burkay / Geçmişten Günümüze Kürtler ve Kürdistan (c. 1, s. 154-157, 1992), İbn Haldun / Mukaddime (C. 2, s. 622, 1996), Mehmet Kemal Işık / Ünlü Kürt Bilgin ve Birinci Kuşak Aydınlar (2000), Rama­zan Şeşen / Salâhaddin Eyyûbi ve Devri (2000), Vehbi Tülek / “Kudüs Fatihi” Selahaddin Eyyûbi (Türkiye gazetesi, 9 Eylül 2006), Dr. Mehmet Sılay / Ortadoğu Barışının Mimarı Selahaddin Eyyubi (2009), Ramazan Şeşen / TDV İslam Ansiklopedisi (c. 36, s. 337-340, 2009), İhsan Işık / "Ünlü Devlet Adamları" (Türkiye Ünlüleri Ansiklopedisi, 1. cilt, 2013) -Encyclopedia of Turkey’s Famous People (2013).