Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi (Saladin)

Salah al-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub al-Kurdi (532–589 AH / 1137–1193 CE), known in the West as Saladin, was the Sultan of Egypt and Syria and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty. Born to a Kurdish family in Tikrit (modern Iraq), he rose through the ranks under Nur al-Din Zangi. He united Egypt and Syria under his rule and launched the campaign to recapture Jerusalem, which fell to the Crusaders in 1099 CE. On 27 Rajab 583 AH (2 October 1187 CE), his forces entered Jerusalem — ending 88 years of Crusader occupation. He was known for his magnanimity toward defeated enemies. He was a Sunni Muslim who suppressed the Fatimid Shi'a caliphate in Egypt and restored Sunni rule.