Category Archives: Saladin

Saladin: Empire and Holy War

Saladin: Empire and Holy War

Saladin: Empire and Holy War

By Peter Gubser. Dr. Gubser was a cofounder of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations and longtime Treasurer of the National Council’s board of directors.

Gorgias Press, 2010, available in paperback, 467 pp.

Saladin, the great Muslim leader of the twelfth century, generated far-reaching change in the Middle East. During his life, he profoundly altered the region’s landscape in religious, political, geographic and ethnic terms. In the West, he is famous for sharply curtailing the Crusader presence in the region, but also for the chivalrous and honorable way he dealt with adversaries and neighbors. In Muslim lands, he is well known – even lionized – for his success vis-à-vis the Crusaders.