[Saladin's tomb](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mausoleum_of_Saladin "Mausoleum of Saladin"), near the northwest corner of the [Umayyad Mosque](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Umayyad_Mosque "Umayyad Mosque"), Damascus, Syria. In Egypt, the Almohads were held back by one of the most famous Muslim leaders of the Medieval era, Saladin (1137-1174). Born in Tikrit (Iraq) to a prominent Kurdish family, he was sent from Damascus to restore order in Egypt as the Fatamid caliphate was devolving into political chaos that weakened it against potential attacks from the nearby Crusader States in the Levant. Between 1164 and 1169, Saladin repelled a series of attacks by King Amalric of Jerusalem, and when the Egyptian vizier died in 1169, the 31-year-old military commander was appointed to replace him. Over the next couple of years, both the Fatimid caliph and the Abassid ruler in Syria died, and Saladin ended the Fatimid dynasty and had the Abassid heir (whom he had helped to claim the throne in Damascus) proclaim him Sultan of Egypt and Syria. ----- Next: [[12.8 - 3rd Crusade]] Back: [[12.6 - Almohad Caliphate]]