The Citadel of Saladin

What? Oh, you don't recognize the name? Westerners of the 12th century, like King Richard I of England (the Lionhearted), referred to him as Saladin. He was, by all accounts, a very interesting and uncommon historical figure. In the 12th century, at the height of the Crusades, he led several victorious campaigns against the Christian kingdoms of Jerusalem - who, according to the Arabs, were raiding Hajj pilgrim ships, capturing slaves and money - eventually kicking the Christians out of the kingdom of Jerusalem (About modern-day Israel and Palestine, give or take).

This, of course, upset Richard I, king of England who was blessed by the Pope to enter upon a third Crusade. He then took off for the Middle East to take on Saladin, leaving his brother, John, in charge - the same "King" John of Robinhood fame. The stories of Muslim cruelty and barbarity filled Richard with righteous indignation but upon meeting Saladin on the battlefield, the two came to respect each other greatly. When Richard fell ill (or was it wounded, the stories vary), Saladin offered his personal physician to Richard so that the valiant knight might be healed more quickly; a very big deal since Muslim medicine was FAR more advanced than Western, and the personal physician of Salah al-Din had to be the best of the best - a veritable Marie Curie, Jonas Salk, or Robert Jarvik of his day. Also, when, in a later battle, Richard lost his horse, Salah al-Din sent two of the finest Arabian horses to Richard in consolation - Imagine if Patton had sent Rommel a couple of Cadillacs after a disastrous battle.

Anyway, the two almost became in-laws - and maybe changed the course of history, to boot - but the Catholic Church forbade the marriage of Richard's daughter to Salah al-Din's son. By all accounts, Salah al-Din was the epitome of chivalry, justice, and righteous rule, and his fortress still stands (sort of) today. Why do I tell you this? Well, part of it is because it is so cool to see all the history that is still alive in this ancient city. At the time of Salah al-Din, Cairo had around 800,000 citizens, give or take a few ten-thousand or so. By comparison, London had about 80,000 or so, give or take a few thousand. Dante, in his divine comedy, put Salah al-Din in limbo with the righteous pagans like Aristotle and Virgil - over 100 years after Salah al-Din's death. It is rumored that, after Salah al-Din died, the scribes opened his treasury only to find it empty because he had given money and gifts away to all who needed it - he did so personally, they say, riding through Cairo throwing coins to beggars and orphans as well as funding schools, hospitals, and mosques. In an ironic turn of events, Salah al-Din's citadel is not a stone's throw away from the poorest of the poor neighborhood in Cairo, the Necropolis.

Sources cited:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saladin

http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761560254/saladin.html

Diane Stanley's Saladin: Noble Prince of Islam (2002)

James Reston Jr's Warriors of God: Richard the Lionhearted and Saladin in the Third Crusade (2007)

Sydney Fischer and William Ochsenwald's The Middle East: A History, Fifth Edition, Volume 1 (1997)

_______ The Middle East: A History, Fifth Edition, Volume 2 (1997)