Editing Saladin (section)

==Conquest of Syria==

===Conquest of Damascus===
In the early summer of 1174, Nur ad-Din was mustering an army, sending summons to Mosul, [[Diyar Bakr]], and the [[al-Jazira, Mesopotamia|Jazira]] in an apparent preparation of an attack against Saladin's Egypt. The Ayyubids held a council upon the revelation of these preparations to discuss the possible threat and Saladin collected his own troops outside Cairo. On 15 May, Nur ad-Din died after falling ill the previous week and his power was handed to his eleven-year-old son [[as-Salih Ismail al-Malik]]. His death left Saladin with political independence and in a letter to as-Salih, he promised to "act as a sword" against his enemies and referred to the death of his father as an "earthquake shock".{{sfn|Lyons|Jackson|1982|pp=73–74}}

In the wake of Nur ad-Din's death, Saladin faced a difficult decision; he could move his army against the Crusaders from Egypt or wait until invited by as-Salih in Syria to come to his aid and launch a war from there. He could also take it upon himself to annex Syria before it could possibly fall into the hands of a rival, but he feared that attacking a land that formerly belonged to his master—forbidden in the Islamic principles in which he believed—could portray him as hypocritical, thus making him unsuitable for leading the war against the Crusaders. Saladin saw that in order to acquire Syria, he needed either an invitation from as-Salih or to warn him that potential anarchy could give rise to danger from the Crusaders.{{sfn|Lyons|Jackson|1982|pp=74–75}}

When as-Salih was removed to Aleppo in August, Gumushtigin, the emir of the city and a captain of Nur ad-Din's veterans assumed guardianship over him. The emir prepared to unseat all his rivals in Syria and the Jazira, beginning with Damascus. In this emergency, the emir of Damascus appealed to [[Ghazi II Saif ud-Din|Saif ad-Din]] of Mosul (a cousin of Gumushtigin) for assistance against Aleppo, but he refused, forcing the Syrians to request the aid of Saladin, who complied.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=136}} Saladin rode across the desert with 700 picked horsemen, passing through al-Kerak then reaching [[Bosra]]. According to his own account, was joined by "emirs, soldiers, and Bedouins—the emotions of their hearts to be seen on their faces."{{sfn|Lyons|Jackson|1982|p=81}} On 23 November, he arrived in Damascus amid general acclamation and rested at his father's old home there, until the gates of the [[Citadel of Damascus]],{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=136}} whose commander Raihan initially refused to surrender, were opened to Saladin four days later, after a brief siege by his brother [[Tughtakin ibn Ayyub]].{{sfn|Lyons|Jackson|1982|p=83}} He installed himself in the castle and received the homage and salutations of the inhabitants.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906}}

===Further conquests in Syria===
[[File:Saladin the Victorious.jpg|thumb|right|19th-century depiction of a victorious Saladin, by [[Gustave Doré]]]]
Leaving his brother [[Tughtakin ibn Ayyub]] as Governor of Damascus, Saladin proceeded to reduce other cities that had belonged to Nur ad-Din, but were now practically independent. His army conquered [[Hamah|Hama]] with relative ease, but avoided attacking [[Homs]] because of the strength of its citadel.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=13}} Saladin moved north towards Aleppo, besieging it on 30 December after Gumushtigin refused to abdicate his throne.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=137}} As-Salih, fearing capture by Saladin, came out of his palace and appealed to the inhabitants not to surrender him and the city to the invading force. One of Saladin's chroniclers claimed "the people came under his spell".{{sfn|Lyons|Jackson|1982|p=87}}

Gumushtigin requested [[Rashid ad-Din Sinan]], chief ''da'i'' of the [[Order of Assassins|Assassins]] of Syria, who were already at odds with Saladin since he replaced the Fatimids of Egypt, to assassinate Saladin in his camp.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=138}} On 11 May 1175, a group of thirteen Assassins easily gained admission into Saladin's camp, but were detected immediately before they carried out their attack by Nasih ad-Din Khumartekin of [[Abu Qubays, Syria|Abu Qubays]]. One was killed by one of Saladin's generals and the others were slain while trying to escape.{{sfn|Lyons|Jackson|1982|p=87}}{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=139}}{{sfn|Nicolle|2011|p=20}} To deter Saladin's progress, [[Raymond III of Tripoli|Raymond of Tripoli]] gathered his forces by [[Nahr al-Kabir]], where they were well placed for an attack on Muslim territory. Saladin later moved toward [[Homs]] instead, but retreated after being told a relief force was being sent to the city by Saif ad-Din.{{sfn|Lyons|Jackson|1982|pp=88–89}}{{sfn|Eddé|2011|p=392}}

Meanwhile, Saladin's rivals in Syria and Jazira waged a propaganda war against him, claiming he had "forgotten his own condition [servant of Nur ad-Din]" and showed no gratitude for his old master by besieging his son, rising "in rebellion against his Lord". Saladin aimed to counter this propaganda by ending the siege, claiming that he was defending Islam from the Crusaders; his army returned to Hama to engage a Crusader force there. The Crusaders withdrew beforehand and Saladin proclaimed it "a victory opening the gates of men's hearts".{{sfn|Lyons|Jackson|1982|pp=88–89}} Soon after, Saladin entered Homs and captured its citadel in March 1175, after stubborn resistance from its defenders.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=140}}

Saladin's successes alarmed Saif ad-Din. As head of the [[Zengid]]s, including Gumushtigin, he regarded Syria and [[Mesopotamia]] as his family estate and was angered when Saladin attempted to usurp his dynasty's holdings. Saif ad-Din mustered a large army and dispatched it to Aleppo, whose defenders anxiously had awaited them. The combined forces of Mosul and Aleppo marched against Saladin in Hama. Heavily outnumbered, Saladin initially attempted to make terms with the Zengids by abandoning all conquests north of the [[Jund Dimashq|Damascus province]], but they refused, insisting he return to Egypt. Seeing that confrontation was unavoidable, Saladin prepared for battle, taking up a superior position at the [[Battle of the Horns of Hama|Horns of Hama]], hills by the gorge of the [[Orontes River]]. On 13 April 1175, the Zengid troops marched to attack his forces, but soon found themselves surrounded by Saladin's Ayyubid veterans, who crushed them. The battle ended in a decisive victory for Saladin, who pursued the Zengid fugitives to the gates of Aleppo, forcing as-Salih's advisers to recognize Saladin's control of the provinces of Damascus, Homs, and Hama, as well as a number of towns outside Aleppo such as [[Ma'arat al-Numan]].{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=141}}

After his victory against the Zengids, Saladin proclaimed himself king and suppressed the name of as-Salih in Friday prayers and Islamic coinage. From then on, he ordered prayers in all the mosques of Syria and Egypt as the sovereign king and he issued at the Cairo mint gold coins bearing his official title—''al-Malik an-Nasir Yusuf Ayyub, ala ghaya'' "the King Strong to Aid, Joseph son of Job; exalted be the standard." The Abbasid caliph in Baghdad graciously welcomed Saladin's assumption of power and declared him "Sultan of Egypt and Syria". The Battle of Hama did not end the contest for power between the Ayyubids and the Zengids, with the final confrontation occurring in the spring of 1176. Saladin had gathered massive reinforcements from Egypt while Saif ad-Din was levying troops among the minor states of [[Diyarbakir]] and al-Jazira.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|pp=141–143}} When Saladin crossed the Orontes, leaving Hama, the sun was eclipsed. He viewed this as an omen, but he continued his march north. He reached the [[Tell Sultan|Sultan's Mound]], roughly {{cvt|25|km|mi}} from Aleppo, where his forces encountered Saif ad-Din's army. A hand-to-hand fight ensued and the Zengids managed to plough Saladin's left-wing, driving it before him when Saladin himself charged at the head of the Zengid guard. The Zengid forces panicked and most of Saif ad-Din's officers ended up being killed or captured—Saif ad-Din narrowly escaped. The Zengid army's camp, horses, baggage, tents, and stores were seized by the Ayyubids. The Zengid [[prisoners of war]], however, were given gifts and freed. All of the booty from the Ayyubid victory was accorded to the army, Saladin not keeping anything himself.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=144}}

He continued towards Aleppo, which still closed its gates to him, halting before the city. On the way, his army took Buza'a and then captured [[Manbij]]. From there, they headed west to besiege the fortress of [[A'zaz]] on 15 May. Several days later, while Saladin was resting in one of his captain's tents, an Assassin rushed forward at him and struck at his head with a knife. The cap of his head armour was not penetrated and he managed to grip the Assassin's hand—the dagger only slashing his [[gambeson]]—and the assailant was soon killed. Saladin was unnerved at the attempt on his life, which he accused Gumushtugin and the Assassins of plotting, and so increased his efforts in the siege.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|pp=144–146}}

A'zaz capitulated on 21 June, and Saladin then hurried his forces to Aleppo to punish Gumushtigin. His assaults were again resisted, but he managed to secure not only a truce, but a mutual alliance with Aleppo, in which Gumushtigin and as-Salih were allowed to continue their hold on the city, and in return, they recognized Saladin as the sovereign over all of the dominions he conquered. The ''emirs'' of [[Mardin]] and [[Hasankeyf|Keyfa]], the Muslim allies of Aleppo, also recognised Saladin as the King of Syria. When the treaty was concluded, the younger sister of as-Salih came to Saladin and requested the return of the Fortress of A'zaz; he complied and escorted her back to the gates of Aleppo with numerous presents.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|pp=144–146}}

===Campaign against the Assassins===
[[File:Masyaf - Gesamtansicht.jpg|thumb|right|Saladin ended his siege of the [[Ismailism|Ismaili]] ("[[Order of Assassins|Assassins]]") [[Misyaf Castle|fortress]] of [[Masyaf]], which was commanded by [[Rashid ad-Din Sinan]], under uncertain circumstances in August 1176.]]
Saladin had by now agreed to truces with his Zengid rivals and the Kingdom of Jerusalem (the latter occurred in the summer of 1175), but faced a threat from the Isma'ili sect known as the [[Order of Assassins|Assassins]], led by [[Rashid ad-Din Sinan]]. Based in the [[an-Nusayriyah Mountains]], they commanded nine [[List of Ismaili castles|fortresses]], all built on high elevations. As soon as he dispatched the bulk of his troops to Egypt, Saladin led his army into the an-Nusayriyah range in August 1176. He retreated the same month, after laying waste to the countryside, but failing to conquer any of the forts. Most Muslim historians claim that Saladin's uncle, the governor of Hama, mediated a peace agreement between him and Sinan.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=148}}{{sfn|Willey|2001|p=47}}

Saladin had his guards supplied with link lights and had chalk and cinders strewed around his tent outside [[Masyaf]]—which he was besieging—to detect any footsteps by the Assassins.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|pp=149–150}} According to this version, one night Saladin's guards noticed a spark glowing down the hill of Masyaf and then vanishing among the Ayyubid tents. Presently, Saladin awoke to find a figure leaving the tent. He saw that the lamps were displaced and beside his bed laid hot scones of the shape peculiar to the Assassins with a note at the top pinned by a poisoned dagger. The note threatened that he would be killed if he did not withdraw from his assault. Saladin gave a loud cry, exclaiming that Sinan himself was the figure that had left the tent.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|pp=149–150}}

Another version claims that Saladin hastily withdrew his troops from Masyaf because they were urgently needed to fend off a Crusader force in the vicinity of [[Mount Lebanon]].{{sfn|Willey|2001|p=47}} In reality, Saladin sought to form an alliance with Sinan and his Assassins, consequently depriving the Crusaders of a potent ally against him.{{sfn|Lane-Poole|1906|p=151}} Viewing the expulsion of the Crusaders as a mutual benefit and priority, Saladin and Sinan maintained cooperative relations afterwards, the latter dispatching contingents of his forces to bolster Saladin's army in a number of decisive subsequent battlefronts.{{sfn|Willey|2001|p=48}}