2020-05-11 Mon

Salah-ud-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub known as Saladin in the Western World was the legendary warrior who repelled the Crusaders at the Horns of Hattin in northern Palestine and recaptured the holy city of Jerusalem for the Muslims in 1187 CE.

He was the first sultan of Egypt and Syria and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Salahuddin Ayyubi’s real name was Yusuf ibn Ayyub, the title of Salahuddin which he was given due to his extraordinary qualities means ‘the Righteousness of the Faith’. He was born in Tikrit, in modern-day central Iraq, His family was of Kurdish background and ancestry.

Saladin led the Muslim military campaign against the Crusader states in the Levant. During his reign, Saladin has been described as the de facto Caliph of Islam and at the height of his power, his caliphate included Egypt, Syria, Upper Mesopotamia, the Hejaz, Yemen, and other parts of North Africa. Saladin has become a prominent figure in Muslim, Arab, Turkish and Kurdish culture, and he has often been described as being the most famous Kurd in history.

He issued gold coins from Cairo mint bearing his official title—al-Malik an-Nasir Yusuf Ayyub, ala ghaya "the King Strong to Aid, Joseph son of Job; exalted be the standard." The above shown Dirham depicted the Male figure (Saladin) facing, seated cross-legged on a low square-backed throne surmounted by two pinnacles at the upper corners, wearing a turban, left hand holding an orb and right hand resting on his thigh.

Image Source: Wikipedia.org