This coastal city of Alexandria was
established in 331 BC. Many great stories of history
are buried in this small town. When books were written
on tree bark and hides,... ...this city had a library... ....comprising millions of books. The books were in the form of scrolls. Two thousand years ago, the same city
had a philosopher, Ptolemy,... ...who for the first time made
a map of the universe... and gave the concept of seven heavens
above the earth. Alexandria also generated the stories
of Cleopatra and Julius Sears. It is the city for which Roman Empire,
the Egyptian King,... ...Arab Caliphate and French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte fought many wars. This is the very city that made the unforgettable character of history,... ...Saladin Yusuf, Saladin Ayyubi. How did a Crusade make young Saladin... ....a hero in the eye of friends and foes alike? What obliged the Crusaders to give him the title of knight? I am Faisal Warraich who, in Dekho, Suno, Jano's series... ...the Crusades and Ayyubi's fifth episode will show you all this. In 1164 a tussle between the Zengi Empire and 4 Crusade states was at its peak. Nur ad-Din Zengi was eliminating them one by one. The kingdom of Edessa was over. The Zengians had also captured
more than half of Antioch. Tripoli and Jerusalem were in a defensive position. No Crusaders from Europe were
coming to help them either. The Crusaders had little resources to fight the Zangis. Desperate Amalric, king of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, got an unusual idea. He planned to conquer the Fatimid Caliphate of Egypt to his south. Egypt had an abundance of water and food... ...and was also a vital trade route between Asia, Africa and Europe. Although the Fatimid Caliphate had weakened politically,... ...its treasury was still full of gold and silver. The amount of Egypt's wealth could
be assessed from the fact... that only Cairo had 20,000 shops... ...and each paid a monthly tax of two to ten dinars. That is, the monthly tax was between 40,000 and 200,000 dinars. From Senegal and other African regions, gold also came to Cairo... ...as it was the best route for African exports. Because of all this, Egypt had so much wealth... that it could raise an army three times larger than that of the Zengi Empire. The Crusader king Amalric eyed
this immense wealth of Egypt. He thought that if he got the wealth of Egypt... ...it would greatly help him fight the Zengis. So he began planning to occupy Egypt. The Egyptians themselves gave him
the chance to carry out this plan. In 1164, the weak Fatimid Caliphate was ruled by the 13-year-old Caliph Al-Din. H was only the caliph in name,... ... and the virtual power was with
his prime minister Shawar bin Mujir. Egypt had developed a tradition over the years... that the Prime Minister was the all-in-all... ...and the Caliph was merely a figurehead. With all the powers vested in the Prime Minister,... his office exceptionally gainful
as well as a power centre. Therefore fights and conspiracies
were the order of the day. Prime Minister Shawar also fell victim
to the same tug of war... ...and he lost the PM office to his
opponent Zargham. Shawar saving his life secretly reached Syria... ...and appeared before the Zangi Sultan. He promised Nur al-Din Zangi that if he
get him back the premiership of Egypt... ...he will give him one-third of the Egyptian money. It was a big promise,... ...and could be fulfilled as Egypt was very rich. Nur al-Din knew that if Shawar fulfilled his promise... ...the Zangi Empire would become very powerful. So, he made a commitment to help Shawar. But he could not go to Egypt himself... ...since he was battling with the Crusader states. So, he sent his best Kurdish commander Shirkuh with Shawar. The same Shirkuh was the uncle of Saladin Ayubi. Shirkuh immediately left for Egypt
with a few thousand soldiers. The new premier Zargham got alert
when learned of Shirkuh's arrival. He sought help from King Amalric,
the enemy of Nur al-Din. The Crusaders were already looking for
an excuse to attack Egypt. So they got the opportunity in this mistake. In 1164, the Crusaders and Zengi armies marched to the Egyptian capital, Cairo. Shirkuh reached Cairo before the Crusaders. As the Crusaders were still away
to help Zargham... ... therefore, he himself had to face Shirkuh. Before any victory or defeat would happen... ... the ill-fated Zargham was killed
by his own comrades. No clue whether he was killed by mistake or purposely,... ...but history tells us it was a friendly fire which took his life. So it happened that before the arrival
of King Amalric,... ...Shawar was reinstated to the seniormost position in Egypt. Now the arrival of the Crusader army
to the city was out of question. So the Crusaders went back. Another power game began in Egypt. As Shawar became premier, he stepped back on his promise to Nur ad-Din. He refused to give one-third of Egypt's revenue to Nur ad-Din. He offered only 30,000 to Shirkuh asking him to forget one-third. Shirkuh did not accept it? He strongly rejected the offer... ...and insisted on the earlier made promise. When Shawar noticed Shirkuh was
bent upon the old promise,.. ...he played a novel and incredible trick. He sent a message to the Crusader King Amalric... ...to come to Egypt and help him against Shirkuh. In return, Shawer also committed huge rewards to the Crusader King. Amalric got another chance. So, he immediately entered Egypt with his army. Shirkuh's army was at that time in
the fort of Bilbeis, east of Cairo. The King of Jerusalem besieged this fort. Now, Shirkuh and his army were confined in the fort... ... while King Amalric was sitting outside with his army. Arrows and stones were raining on each other from both sides. But... ....Shirkuh's military position was
very weak compared to that of Amalric. He was surrounded by the enemy
away from his homeland... ...while Amalric was receiving help
from the Egyptian government. Food and drink supplies were running out fast in Bilbeis Fort. Shirkuh knew the situation did not allow him to hold off the Crusaders for long. That if the Crusaders entered the fort again, he would find no escape. The Crusaders were also thinking the same. But his thought was wrong. Sultan Nur ad-Din hundreds of kilometres away was mindful of the situation. Yes, Nur ad-Din Zengi knew his commander was in trouble. He made a move and attacked
Jerusalem's friendly state Antioch. In this expedition, near the Harem Fort, he... defeated a combined army of Antioch
and other crusader states. Eminent Crusader rulers and commanders were also captured in this battle. Nur ad-Din Zengi cut off the heads of some Crusaders and put them in a bag... ...and sent it to Shirkuh. He sent him a message to hang these heads on the walls of Bilbeis Fort... ...and the sight of it will strike fear in the Crusaders. By the destruction of neighbouring states, Amalric will think to save Jerusalem. Despite the siege, this bag of severed heads somehow reached Shirkuh. It reached inside the fort. As instructed by Nur ad-Din, he nailed
the heads on spears along the Fort wall. The Crusaders got much demoralised
seeing the heads of their own people. Amalric had also learned about
the defeat in the Harem. He also knew that Nur ad-Din Zengi had... ...captured some forts in his state of Jerusalem. Amalric rightly feared that at any time... ...Jerusalem would also be under
the attack of Nur ad-Din. So he made a peace agreement
with the besieged Shirkuh... ...so that he could safely return to Jerusalem. The agreement envisaged... the Zengi army and the Crusaders both
will leave Egypt. After the agreement, Amalric left Bilbeis Fort... and took a sigh of relief in Jerusalem. The army of Commander Shirkuh
returned to Damascus,... ...which means to its Sultan. ...which means to its Sultan. The Crusaders and the Zengis failed to get the main aim of the Egypt expedition. Both failed to realise the dream of controlling Egypt. Yet it directly benefitted Prime Minister Shawar to become stronger. For the next two years, he exclusively ruled Egypt. But Shirkuh did not forget the breach of promise by Shawar even in Damascus. He was eager to punish the Egyptian ruler. So after some time, he took permission
from Nur ad-Din Zangi and... ...started preparations for the attack again. Nur ad-Din prepared a tremendous unit
of cavalry to attack Egypt. It was the first attack wherein Saladin Ayubi, accompanied his uncle Shirkuh. Very little is known about the early life of Saladin Yusuf, the nephew of Shirkuh. Some historians say he was the police chief in Damascus. He was known for strictness in the matters of law. He also had a good familiarity with Nur ad-Din. Some say he was also a favourite polo partner of Sultan Nur ad-Din,.. ...both used to play polo together. So Shirkuh was taking him on his campaign to Egypt. But for some reason, Saladin Ayubi was
not willing to go to Egypt. But it was also difficult to ignore
uncle's order. So in 1167, he went on an expedition to Egypt with his uncle. The Egyptian Prime Minister Shawar was also fully aware of his arrival. He once again called King Amalric of Jerusalem for help. In return, he promised to give 100,000 dinars annually to the Crusaders. Last time the Crusaders delayed
reaching Egypt. But this time King Amalric did not delay... ...and reached Cairo ahead of Zengi's army. His arrived so rapidly that Shirkuh could know it only after entering Egypt... ...that someone is already waiting for him. In this situation, if he had attacked Cairo... he would face the joint force of the Crusaders and the army of Shawar. So he abandoned the intention
to attack Cairo. And he left for the coastal city
of Alexandria... ...where a situation of rebellion
against Shawar was ripe. The people of this city disliked... that Shawar had asked Crusaders
for help as a Muslim. So through messages to Shirkuh, they
assured him of their support. Shirkuh thought that if he captured Alexandria,... ...he would get chance to get a foothold
in Egypt. Later he would gather people from
other cities in Egypt... ...and easily defeat both Shawer and Amalric with a large army. Alexandria was also the most important trading port of Egypt. Its capture meant... ...Egypt's lifeline in the hands of Zengi forces. That is, the economy of Egypt is in the Zengis' hands. So keeping all these things in mind, Shirkuh moved towards Alexandria. It was a great war strategy. Obviously, Premier Shawar was also aware of the strategic value of his port. Even his ally Amalric knew what the consequences could be. So they both began to plan to stop him. It was decided that King Amalric would leave the bulk of his army in Cairo... ...and go after Shirkuh
with a few thousand cavalry. The route Shirkuh adopted
to go to Alexandria... ...was through the southwest of Cairo. King Amalric also chased him
on the same route... ...and caught up with Shirkuh
at Al-Babien. The Zengi commander had
no choice but to fight. Shirkuh made a great plan
to face Amalric. That is, he divided his army
into three parts,... and the force standing in the front
was for fighting,... which you can call the centre,... and the small forces on the right and left, ...they were concealed by Shirkuh. That is, the King's invading army
could not see them. He thought the central army was the only one to fight with,... ...but the success of the Victory Plan needed... ...that central part of the army is commanded by a clever person,... ...a commander who could act in retreat... ... at the same time maintain discipline of the army. That is, he takes care lest the army should actually run away... ...or break its ranks in the act
of running away. Such a commander before his eyes. His nephew, Saladin Yusuf. Shirkuh made Saladin the chief of the central army and told the whole plan. This was the first time in known history... that Saladin was going to fight as a commander. Rather, the entire war plan rest on his success or failure. Saladin Ayubi had also decided... to live up to his uncle's trust in any case. On March 18, 1167, the Battle of Al-Babein took place. 29-year-old Saladin Ayubi was commanding the main part of the army. As soon as the enemy's cavalry
attacked him,... ...he began to withdraw his force sharply. On it, the Crusaders thought they were going to win... ... and their whole army rushed in pursuit of Saladin... ... and failed to see that behind the rocks at a distance... ... the left and the right of the Zengi troops were hidden. These troops began to surround
them from behind. When Saladin Ayubi saw everything as per plan, he suddenly turned around... ... and attacked the enemy with full force. Other Muslim troops also
attacked them from behind. As per Shirkuh's plan, the enemy was crushed by the two forces. With Saladin Ayubi's help, Shirkuh won this important Battle of Al-Babein. This, however, was not a decisive victory. Because the part of the Crusader army destroyed therein... ...was very small. Their actual army was safe in Cairo. The Crusader king Amalric had also escaped safely from the Zengis. It was now certain that with
his main army in Cairo... ...and the Fatimid forces of Shawar, he would attack again. So Shirkuh expedited his march towards Alexandria... ...to take position behind the strong walls of the city at the earliest. He reached Alexandria as quickly as
he could. People in the city welcomed him... ...and entertained him with
food and drink. For a few days, the Zangi army was served well... but this peaceful time did not last long. Just as Sherkoh had estimated... Amalric and Shawar outside reached Alexandria with full military force. They surrounded the city land
on the south. A Crusader fleet also besieged Alexandria by sea up north. Which Crusader ally sent this fleet... ...the history does not tell much about it... The geography of the city of Alexandria was such that,... ...there was a wall around the city... ... with many gardens around it. Shawar and the Crusaders cut down the gardens and prepared catapults... ...and rained stones on the city. On the other side, trade in the city also stopped due to land and sea blockades. Soon Alexandria began to run out of food. When Shirkuh saw this situation... ...he left his 1,000 army under the command of Saladin Ayubi and... ...somehow left the city with
the rest of the force. He moved into the eastern part of Egypt... ...and opened a new front. He started to attack populated
areas in Egypt. It aimed to make Shawar and Amalric end the siege of Alexandria and... ... get them after Shirkuh... so that Saladin Ayubi could get
the chance to leave the city. But this plan was not successful. The enemy continued
the siege of Alexandria. Every next day, the situation in the city
was getting worse. The lack of food put people and soldiers in great problems and tension. Despite the hardships of
three months of siege... .... Saladin did not surrender. At one point, Shawar sent him
a message, 'Saladin Surrender'. The young commander replied,... ..."God forbid we surrender Muslims
to the Franks... ...and their allies, the Ismailis." Remember that the Fatimid Caliphate was a follower of the Ismaili school of thought. That is why Saladin Ayyubi said so. So the war continued. Now Saladin Ayubi was giving the impression to the enemy... ...that he would not surrender... but at the same time, he was worried about the situation in the city. He had full confidence in
his 1000 soldiers,... ...but he did not expect such loyalty from the common man. The people of Alexandria were fundamentally traders... ...so they were much upset due to the closure of business. Commander Ayubi feared... ...that these enterprising men... ...in order to get the siege lifted... ...might become part of any conspiracy. Lest they would join the outsiders and... ...rush on his small force. So he sent an SOS message
to Shirkuh in Egypt. He asked him to come to his help
as soon as possible,... ...otherwise, the city will be lost. Shirkuh got the message... ...but he was not in a position
to help Saladin Ayubi. He expected no help from his
Sultan Nur ad-Din in Syria either. Because if Nur ad-Din had sent
an army to help him,... the defence of his own kingdom would have become weak. So Shirkuh had to himself find a way
out of this situation. He formed an army of Egyptians who were opposed to Prime Minister Shawar,... ...and advanced towards Cairo. There was no large army to
defend the city... as Shawar had taken all the forces with him to Alexandria. Information about Shirkuh's advance soon reached Alexandria. Feeling the capital in danger, Amalric and Shawar offered talks. Shirkuh also did not have a big army. He knew even if he captured Cairo, keeping hold of it would be difficult. So he also got ready for peace. Soon a peace agreement was reached between the parties. As per the agreement, Saladin Ayubi surrendered Alexandria City peacefully. Like the last time, it was decided... that the Zengi and Crusader
armies would leave Egypt. Prime Minister Shawar's control over the country will continue. After the agreement, the gates of Alexandria City were opened. Saladin Ayubi left the city with his men. Amalric honoured him greatly
and lodged him in a tent. By then, Saladin Ayubi's bravery was highly commended by the Crusader army. Everyone was eager to see the young man... ...who had firmly resisted the Crusaders and the Fatimids for three months. Visitors queued outside his tent
to see him. It goes that a crusader, Lord Humphrey of Turun, even knighted Saladin Ayubi. Anyway, Saladin Ayubi left Egypt safely ...and returned to Aleppo with his uncle. Nur ad-Din Zengi was pleased
with his bravery and... ...gifted him two estates (jagirs)
near Aleppo. From their income, Saladin Ayubi met the household expenses. Nur ad-Din Zengi was happy
with Saladin... ...but he was not pleased with Shirkuh. He also showed his displeasure with Shirkuh in discourse. He said, you twice attempted but failed to achieve the objective. That is, Shirkuh could not capture Egypt. Shirkuh also realized his failure. Nur ad-Din sent him out of Aleppo as the governor of the Syrian city of Homs... ...and deferred the campaign to conquer Egypt for some time. But, the Egyptian front could
not stay cool for long. This time the initiative came from
the Crusaders. Nur ad-Din again entrusted Shirkuh with command of the attack. This battle was going to decide
the fate of Egypt. But this time, a problem was there. That, the young Saladin Ayubi was not ready to go with his uncle. He used to say that what happened in Alexandria... was unforgettable for him. Maybe, for that reason, he did not want to go on another expedition to Egypt. But then it happened... ...that he became obliged to go to Egypt. What was that happening? It happened that the Crusader ruler Amalric himself had left Egypt... ....but some of his forces were
still in Cairo. These Crusaders were ordered... to collect that money from
the Egyptians... ...Prime Minister Shawar had
promised him to give. That was 100,000 dinars annually. The Crusaders began to force the Egyptians in Cairo to pay them the tax. The situation turned the Egyptians against the Crusaders and Shawar. When the Crusaders in Cairo saw that... deep anger in the eyes of the people... ...they also began to falter. The reason was, the soldiers
were fewer in number... and could not withstand
any possible rebellion. They messaged King Amalric in Jerusalem saying, "Come, come, come to Egypt... ...otherwise we are gone." After receiving this message, Amalric raised an army... ...and marched towards Egypt. It was the year 1168. King Amalric was confident... that this time no one could stop him from completely conquering Egypt. With the same optimism,
King Amalric was... ... on his way to Cairo. And the fort of Balbeis once again
came first on the way. The Fatimid forces were present therein... ...under the command of the son of
Prime Minister Shawar. Amalric sent him a message to surrender... ...in the fort of Balbeis. The Muslim commander wrote in reply... ..., "Do you think Balbeis is a cheese that you will eat so easily?" Amalric replied yes, so what else? To me, Bilbeis is a cheese... and Cairo, butter at the most. After that, the Crusaders marched on Bilbeis... ...and captured it in a single day. All the inhabitants were killed or taken as concubines and slaves. Houses and other buildings were burnt. Such looting and destruction
was carried out... that their account made a mourning
in every house in Egypt. After capturing Belbeis, King Amalric's forces advanced and... ...besieged Cairo as well. The city was divided into two parts. Its old populated area was
called al-Fustat. There was no protective wall around it. While the second part which
was built later... ...had a protective wall around it. The royal palace and other government buildings were housed in this part. That is, ordinary people did not live here. Egypt's Premier Shawar took a dangerous decision to save Fustat. They moved the residents of Fustat to New Cairo, the walled city. And ordered the destruction of old Cairo. So 20,000 jugs of explosives were sprayed on houses and shops etc. in the city. Then 10,000 torches were thrown
and the city was set on fire. It goes that the flames of this terrible fire continued to rise for two months. This whole area was burnt to ashes. Meanwhile, the Egyptian Prime Minister started peace talks with Amalric... ...and offered him a huge sum of money for leaving Egypt. Amalric, who had come determined to conquer Egypt at all costs,... ...also signalled to consider the offer. But before a deal could be struck, the game completely changed. That the Egyptians had become sick of the repeated attacks of the Crusaders. Even a weak Fatimid Caliph al-Azad al-Din decided to remove Shawer. But that power was required... ...which was possible only if
Nur ad-Din Zengi would help. In this way, he could get rid of
Shawer and the Crusaders. So Fatimid Caliph wrote a
letter to Nur ad-Din. Some hair was also appended
to this letter. He wrote they were the locks of his wives. They believe, only you can save us from the ravages of Franjs. Shawar opposed the appeal for help from Nur ad-Din Zengi. He knew that if Nur ad-Din attacked... ...his ministry would not survive. In order to frighten the Caliph against Nur ad-Din, said... ...by taking his help you
will lose your kingdom. That is, Nur ad-Din will come here
and take over Egypt. In response, Caliph al-Azad said,"... ..."I am ready to pay the price for the Muslims to keep Egypt Muslim." That is, he would lose his rule but not let Egypt be taken over by the Crusaders. So the young Fatimid Caliph appealed to Nur ad-Din for help. Nur ad-Din Zengi received a letter from the Fatimid Caliph in Aleppo. He at once prepared to attack Egypt. The Zengi ruler gave Shirkuh
a sum of 200,000 dinars ...and ordered him to leave for Egypt instantly with an army. Sherkoh asked Nur ad-Din to permit him to take Saladin Ayubi with him. Saladin refused to go with his uncle. He told Nur ad-Din that the hardships of Alexandria were still fresh in his mind. But his uncle insisted Saladin
must be with him. Nur ad-Din also wanted
to send him anyway. When Saladin saw he had no word to convince... ...he gave the excuse that my financial condition was not good. Nur ad-Din immediately ordered
to pay him some money. Now Saladin had no reason to refuse. He left half-heartedly. However, he himself said that "I was going... ...like a man being led to his death." Shirkuh prepared a unit of 6,000 cavalry with the money got from Nur ad-Din. Nur ad-Din also gave him 2000 additional cavalry from his squadron. In addition, 20 dinars were given to meet the expenses of each military unit. Thus army got prepared and the uncle and nephew proceeded to attack the enemy. When they entered Egypt,... ...Amalric took up a position at Belbeis... ...to prevent Zengi's forces
from reaching Cairo. He was ready to fight in an open
field near Bilbeis... ...but Sherkoh was a shrewd commander. He changed his route to Bilbeis ...and bypassed it to reach Cairo. He also took the Fatimid army
in the capital with him. Now Shirkuh's power had increased. Amalric realized... that he was unable to face the joint power of Shirkuh and the Fatimids. So he retreated to Jerusalem
without a fight. This was in January 1169. It is not clear what happened to the Crusader contingent in Cairo. However, Amalric while retreating also took 12,000 Muslim prisoners with him... to use them as a shield for
escape in case of an attack. Besides that, he also looted two million dinars from Egypt. And for the release of the Commander of Bilbeis and son of Shawar... ... he separately received 100,000 dinars. That is, he had significant
benefits even in defeat. However, after the retreat of Amalric, Egypt was safe, But a person, Prime Minister Shawar
was now quite unsafe. It goes that in the 'Game of Thrones You Win and You Die',... Shawar had lost the 'Game of Thrones.' Now his fate was written on the wall. He himself provided the justification
for this end. That is, Prime Minister Shawar at heart was sheer against Shirkuh's arrival,... ...and he was certain that after the defeat of King Amalric,... ...he would somehow succeed in
killing or capturing Shirkuh. He had also planned for
it along with his loyalists. However, one of his sons allegedly revealed the secret of this plan. Shirkuh immediately moved. And called Shawar to the Zengi army camp on some pretext. Here Saladin Ayubi arrested him... ...and beheaded him and sent it to
the Fatimid Caliph. Some narrate that, on the written command of the Caliph... ... Shawar was done to death... ...because the Caliph also wanted
to remove him. After Shawer, Shirkuh got
a carte blanche in Egypt. Fatimid Caliph appointed Shirkuh his prime minister. He was rewarded with a priced rob for saving Egypt from the Crusaders. He was very happy with his
success because... he had gained control over Egypt although it was in the third attempt. When Nur ad-Din learned
about this victory... ...he too, was very happy. On his call, the victory of Egypt was celebrated across the Zengi Empire. But Shirkuh's happiness did not last long. Two months after premiership, he fell ill due to overeating. His breathing choked and
he died within a few minutes. Saladin Ayubi replaced him as the Prime Minister of Egypt. As prime minister, a white turban stitched with gold was put on his head. A precious shirt, a sword studded
with diamonds,... ...a beautiful mare decorated
with gold and pearls... ...and many other valuable gifts were presented to him. This was the beginning of Saladin's political rise. But to maintain this rise, he
had to make many achievements. At the same time, it was also
a test of his loyalty. He was simultaneously under the Fatimid Caliph and Nur ad-Din Zengi. He was indebted to both... and was in a fix as to how to keep a balance in two. This struggle of loyalties... made the Fatimid courtiers and
Nur ad-Din Zengi his enemies. What was the result of this enmity? Why did the suiciders of Qila Alamut make Saladin Ayubi their enemy? How did Saladin establish the Ayyubid Empire in Egypt? Who survived from Zengi Empire and Ayyubid Empire and how? All this I will show you in the next episode of this series. Till now we have shown you the full story of the First and Second Crusades. Its side stories are also being shared... ...so that the whole historical perspective is before you for understanding. From the start of the Crusades... ... upto the story of the arrival of Saladin Ayubi must be in your mind... ...in order to understand the upcoming Third Crusade. You can see this historical story here. Here are the books you must
read once in your life. And here is the story of the wars of Alexander the Great.
