AR ½ Dirham

Struck: 1169-1193
Mint: Dimashq (Damascus)
Size: 13mm
Weight: 0.69g
Die Axis: ~20°
Grade: XF
Ref: A# 790

Obv: The name and the titles of the ruler inside a square.
Rev: The name and the titles of the caliph al-Mustadi inside a square.
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Saladin was born Yusuf ibn Ayyub in 1137 in Tikrit, Iraq. His father was an officer in the army of the Seljuk leader Zangi. Saladin began his military career around the age of 14 when he went to work for his uncle Shirkuh. Shirkuh was a high ranking officer in the army of the Muslim leader Nur al-Din. In 1169, Shirkuh and Saladin took their army to Egypt to help fight off Crusaders. At the time, Egypt was controlled by the Fatimids and after defeating the Crusaders, Saladin remained in Egypt saying he was going to help the Fatimids, but he really intended to take control. When Shirkuh died, Saladin took control of the army and soon became the Emir of Egypt. When Saladin's leader, Nur al-Din, died in 1174, many different groups began to fight for power. Saladin took his army to Damascus and claimed Nur al-Din's position. He spent the next 12 years battling in order to unify the region. By 1186, Saladin was in control of the Muslim Empire. He then turned his sites on the Crusaders from Europe.

In 1187, after defeating the Crusader army, Saladin marched to Jerusalem. His army surrounded the city and began to fire arrows and catapult rocks over the walls. Within a week, the city surrendered and Saladin marched in victorious. Saladin then captured most of the Crusader castles in the region.

When the Christians in Europe heard of the defeat of the Crusaders and the loss of Jerusalem, they mounted the Third Crusade under the leadership of King Richard the Lionheart. For the first time in his military career, Saladin suffered major defeats in battle at both Acre and Arsuf. Despite their victories, the Crusaders soon wore down and realized they would not be able to take Jerusalem. Saladin and King Richard agreed to a truce. In 1192, they signed the Treaty of Jaffa which kept Jerusalem in the hands of the Muslims, but allowed for the safe passage of Christian pilgrims. Saladin died of a fever on March 4, 1193, a few months after signing the treaty.