Saladin's Conquest of Jerusalem (1187 CE)

On October 2, 1187, Sultan Saladin captured Jerusalem from Crusaders. An excerpt from the article:

"However, rich people, despite having the necessary resources, refused to pay for the poor. The patriarch, Heraclius did approach the Sultan to request the release of several hundred people but made no payment for anyone else. Instead, he left the city with wagons loaded with gold chalices and other treasures from the holy churches while Muslim feudal lords were claiming their share of slaves and greedily chaining people as their properties. Nevertheless, Saladin remained true to his word, the city was taken bloodlessly, though at the price of 15,000 people - 7,000 men and 8,000 women - being enslaved. Saladin himself entered the city on Friday, 2 October, which also happened to be 27th of Rejeb according to the Islamic calendar, the anniversary of the Prophet's night journey to the city. This, of course, was intentional; he wished to show the Muslim world that he was following in the footsteps of their ancestors.

The Aftermath
The Al Aqsa mosque was purified, and the Crusader cross was torn down from it. The building was washed and cleaned, adjacent buildings that had encroached over its area were taken down, so were the numerous Crusader artifacts placed within the mosque. Oriental carpets were placed inside, and perfumes were sprinkled over every corner of it. A pulpit, prepared under the orders of Saladin's patron Nur ad-Din (who had wished to reconquer the holy city himself, but did not live long enough to do so), was placed by the Sultan in the mosque, symbolizing the completion of his master's dream. After 88 years, the Friday prayer was held in the mosque in congregation.

Christian churches were converted to mosques, although native Christians such as the Eastern Orthodox and Copts were allowed to stay and worship freely within the city in return for the jiziya tax (levied on non-Muslims instead of obligatory military service). The church of the Holy Sepulchre, the holiest site in the Christian tradition, was closed for three days until Saladin decided its fate. Some of the Muslims requested his permission for destroying it while others advocated its protection. Saladin finally gave his decision in favor of the latter. More than five centuries before his time, the second Caliph of Islam, Caliph Umar (r. 634-644 CE) had taken the church under his protection, and Saladin could not have done otherwise.
The fall of Jerusalem hit Europe like a shockwave. Many scholars, including William, the Archbishop of Tyre (l. 1130-1186 CE), considered Saladin as a form of divine punishment, others thought of him as a scourge. For the Muslims, however, this was the long-awaited success brought to them by their Sultan.

The Crusaders drew their field army from their strongholds, and with most of the Crusader army annihilated, nothing stood in the way of the Muslims. Tyre, the sole bastion of the Cross in the Holy Land, as noted earlier, became the center of resistance. Soon, a fraction of the remainder Crusader army, the ones who were not permitted inside Tyre, laid siege on Acre (1189-1191 CE). This was the stage for the arrival of the armies of the Third Crusade (1189-1192 CE) under Richard I of England (r. 1189-1199 CE) and Philip Augustus of France (r. 1180-1223 CE). Though parts of the Levantine coast were recovered by this expedition, Saladin's Jerusalem remained untouched.

Conclusion
The battle of Hattin and the subsequent conquest of Jerusalem can be collectively termed as Saladin's magnum opus. He had strived his entire life, spent his entire wealth, and dedicated his entire will for one single purpose: the reinvigoration of the Muslim cause in the Holy Land and the expulsion of the Crusaders. Though he failed to accomplish the latter, he did incur irreparable damage upon the Crusader cause.

Statue of Saladin in Damascus
Statue of Saladin in Damascus krebsmaus07 (CC BY)
Saladin has been revered as the most important Muslim figure in the Crusades. His decision to spare the Christians of Jerusalem, in stark contrast to what had happened 88 years earlier, inspired authors and historians to build a legendary posthumous reputation of the man. His actions, however, also had a practical reason: he did not want to create martyrs for the Christian cause to avenge. Nevertheless, he has been ceaselessly eulogized not just by Muslims but by European Christians as well. Stories about his exploits and his personality are famous even to this day, and even though these fables are works of fiction, they confirm Saladin's status as one of the most influential men in world history."