In November 1177, Saladin Ayubi... ...was on his way to attack the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem. According to him, it was a surprise attack. Because Emir Ayubi had received an intelligence report... ...that the Crusader army was out of its main city Jerusalem, on a campaign. Taking advantage of this rare opportunity, he decided to attack. Because of the surprise attack,
he was confident... ...that he would easily capture
the city of Jerusalem. But here was a twist. That is, the Crusaders had also received intelligence... ...that Saladin had received information
of their departure... ...and he was on his way. So the Crusaders, under the command of their 15-year-old king... ...Baldwin IV, lay in ambush along the way. The Crusader army near Talaz Jar, a hill near Ramallah, hid itself... ...awaiting Saladin Ayubi. As the Ayyubid army was about
to cross the hill... ...the Crusaders launched a shocked attack over a surprise attack. In no time, most of the Arab soldiers were killed or fled. A son of the Sultan's nephew, Taqiuddin, Ahmad, was also killed. Three Crusaders also attacked Saladin... ...but the guards of the Sultan took
him away safe. This was the first time that Emir Ayubi had been defeated by the Crusaders. But it was just one defeat. If the Emir of Egypt had to conquer
Baitul Maqdis... ...he had to cross many such rivers. Then a Crusader army also left for Mecca and Madinah, which... ...could occupy both these cities... ...to bring the Muslim states to
a position of bargain. But how was this army stopped? I Faisal Waraich, in Deko, Suno, Jano's E7 of the series The Crusades and Ayyubi... ...will show you all this. After Talaz Jar's defeat, Saladin Ayubi reached Cairo with the help of Bedouins. He understood conquering Jerusalem
was not easy. So he focused his full attention on making the Ayyubid Empire powerful. After a few years by 1183, he was in a position to fight the enemy decisively. He had made his empire so powerful. His empire had expanded from Egypt to the vicinity of Mosul. Now Saladin could easily take action against the Crusader state of Jerusalem. But he was more worried about another fort than Baitul Maqdis. It was the Al-Karak Castle. The commander of this fort was Saladin Ayubi's worst enemy. Who was he? This enemy of the Sultan was
Raynald of Chatillon. This Crusader leader had been ruler of the state of Antioch from 1153 to 1160. However, in 1160, he was arrested by
Nur ad-Din Zengi's troops. Then he was imprisoned in Aleppo
for 14 years. In 1174 he was released for
a huge ransom... ...and he came to Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, he was appointed the commander of the fortress of Al-Karak. This fort was between Damascus and Cairo; the route of Muslim caravans. Reynold began robbing pilgrims and trade caravans passing near the fort. In the battle of Talaz Jar, Raynald fought on behalf of the Crusaders... ...and had won the battle. He had played a vital role in the battle. After the fight, Reynold had high morale. He did not keep the peace agreements between the Muslims and the Crusaders. In 1189, he also broke a similar
peace agreement and... ...looted a caravan of pilgrims. Baldwin IV, the Crusader ruler, sent his representative to Raynald to... ...rebuke him. But in turn, he humiliated the royal representatives. Raynald's influence in the crusading world can be gauged from the fact... ...that King Baldwin IV was unable
to punish him. This made Raynald bolder... ...so he made an incredible plan. In 1182, Raynald planned... ...to capture Madinah Munawwarah and Mecca Mukarrammah. He prepared five ships in pieces
in his fort. Then pieces were transported by land to the shores of the Gulf of Aqaba in Jordan. On the seashore, the pieces were assembled to make complete ships. Reynold and his army boarded
these ships and... ...set off to attack Mecca and Madinah. But instead of going straight to
their destination... ...they began pillaging along the way. They attacked Muslim coastal areas and ships in the Red Sea. They also looted ships carrying food from Yemen to Mecca and Madinah. This caused the news of their presence to spread throughout the region. So when Raynald's fleet proceeded to capture Mecca and Madinah... and anchored near the Hijaz... ...someone was coming after him
in the same direction. Madinah was only one day's journey from here. If Raynald had arrived quietly
as planned... ...it would have been a surprise attack. But the taste for looting left nothing
in him. Hossam ad-Din Lulu, the Egyptian naval commander under Emir Saladin... ...was in front of Raynald with the speed of a hurricane. He completely wiped out
Raynald's forces... ...and also captured his ships. Raynald, however, managed to escape and saved his life. And somehow escaping from the Muslim army, reached Al-Karak Castle. He did not learn any lesson even
from this terrible defeat. He continued raids and undercover acts. Probably the main reason for this
was the heavy income... ...got from this looting. He did not have any other business. By the way, let me tell you that this... ...was also an economy for many kingdoms and nobles at that time. Arab, foreign, European and Viking armies often did this. Saladin Ayubi knew... ...that importance of capturing Al-Karak and ending Raynald. He besieged Al-Karak Castle twice... ...but retreated each time due to the arrival of rescue forces from Jerusalem. However, the Emir of Egypt did two things in such a way during that period... ...that he was regarded as a better person in the crusader cities. For example, during the second
siege of Al-Karak... ...he learned Isabella, half-sister of the Crusader king, had her marriage in Castle. He stopped battle activity for some time. Then he learned that in so and so tower of the Castle... the bride and groom were staying and could be bombarded and killed. But the Emir of Egypt also forbade the demolition of this tower. However, he did not end the siege
of the fort. Meanwhile, another army was coming from Jerusalem to this side. On getting this report, Sultan Saladin Ayubi ended this second siege of Al-Karak. After that, it might happen... that Saladin for a long time,... ...got Raynald and Al-Karak fort
out of his mind. But another incident happened. In 1185, King Baldwin IV
of Jerusalem... ...lost his life combating leprosy. Shortly after his death, his nephew and successor... ... Baldwin V, also died aged
only eight or nine. He was succeeded by his stepfather "Guy the Lusignan" as king. The warrior Raynald also played a vital role in elevating him to the throne. King Guy the Lusignan while proving his friendship with Raynald... ...provided him full support and a free hand for attacking Muslim territories. It encouraged Raynald who robbed a caravan of pilgrims in 1186 and... ...captured many Muslims. Rumours spread that sister of Sultan Ayubi was also travelling with this convoy. But these rumours were false. The Muslims had agreements in the past with the Kingdom of Jerusalem... ... and these attacks were a blatant violation of the same. Some priests went to Raynald and chided, you have endangered the peace. "Who are you to ask me?" Raynald said recklessly. 'The problem is the of followers of Muhammad, go to him and grouse.' Saladin also sent a messenger to Raynald and demanded... ...the return of the prisoners
and looted articles. But Raynald vehemently refused. When Sultan Ayubi's efforts failed... ...he swore that 'I will kill this person with my own hands.' He decided that this time not
only Al-Karak... ...but the entire Crusader Empire of Jerusalem will be eliminated. In March 1187, Ayyubid Empire began the biggest operation against the Crusaders. In Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Turkey, Saladin Ayubi... ...wrote to all subordinate and allied commanders for reaching Damascus. Armies from all corners of the Ayyubid Empire marched towards Damascus. But Saladin Ayubi did not wait for the arrival of these troops. The army, he already had in Damascus... ...he attacked the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem with it. The reason for his immediate
advance was... ...another caravan of pilgrims which was coming from Mecca. A nephew of the Sultan was also included in this caravan... ... that also had to pass by Al-Karak,
that is, Raynald's castle. Therefore, the Sultan besieged Al-Karak so that this caravan could pass safely. He also knew that with the report of siege, the Crusader army from Jerusalem... ...would leave to help Al-Karak. So Emir Ayubi will get a chance to defeat them decisively. Because this time around, he came prepared for it. The Sultan succeeded in both of his strategic objectives. The caravan of pilgrims passed through Al-Karak safely. Meanwhile, the Crusader king also got ready to help Al-Karak. Because he too was eager to give Saladin Ayubi a decisive defeat. So he also called the army from
all over his empire. The call of so many troops left most of the forts and cities emptied of soldiers. Armies from these parts reached Jerusalem and joined King Guy's forces. Apart from this, the forces of Raymond III, the ruler of the County of Tripoli, also... ...reached to help him. Thus, a powerful army was formed under the command of Guy the Lusignan. This army included many great
chiefs of the Crusaders. On King Guy's order, his holiest cross, the True Cross, was also taken with the army. According to Christian belief, the Cross on which Jesus was crucified... ... formed part of wood this Cross
was made of. In order to boost the morale of the army in the Talaz Jar battle, the Crusaders had... ...also used the same Cross. They also won this battle. Once again they were going to adorn the battlefield in the shadow of True Cross. Everyone believes it is a holy war. In June 1187, the Crusader army... ...in the northwest of Nazareth, the city of present-day Israel's location... ...Sepphoris set up its camps. It was an ideal place for a military stay due to the hot weather. There were water springs and fruit trees... ...that served to keep the soldiers fresh. The Crusader army consisted of 1200 knights and over 18,000 foot soldiers. There were also a significant number of cavalry units with light weapons. To the east of the Crusader army, about 17 kilometres from Sepphoris... Saladin Ayubi was encamped at the site of Al-Hattin. As soon as he was informed of the preparations of the Crusader army, he... ...ended the siege of Al-Karak and
came to that side. The forces that had marched from the vicinity of the empire... ...had also joined them. By it, the Ayyubid forces had at least 12000 cavalry and thousands of soldiers. However, their exact number is
not known. The field of Al-Hattin best suited the war plan of Saladin Ayubi. My fellows, just look at the geography of Al-Hattin to know it. Behind Al-Hattin to the east was a large lake called the "Sea of Galilee"... ...which the Arabs called
the Sea of Tiberias. It was a lake of freshwater
usable for drinking... ...and enough fish to satisfy the hunger. On its banks was the city of Tiberias... ...which was part of the Crusader
Empire of Tripoli. Apart from this, Al-Hattin also had water springs and shadowy trees. But Al-Hattin and Sopphoris where the Crusade army was stationed... ...neither had water nor shadowy trees
in between. The Sultan has devised strategy
that the enemy... ...would move out of Seppheris towards Al-Hattin to attack them. Hunger and thirst would have drained the Crusaders before they reached Al Hattin. After which they would naturally on reaching Al-Hattin... ...try to go to the Sea of Tiberias
for water. On it, the Ayyubid army could easily defeat this thirsty and tired army. So this was the plan of Sultan Ayubi. Sultan Ayubi organized his army
according to this plan. Some troops were stationed near
the city of Tiberias... ...so that the people here could not
help the Crusaders. The rest of the army was lined up at the water springs and the paths to the lake. On the other hand, the only way for the Crusaders to avoid Saladin Ayubi's plan... ...was to retain a defensive position
in Sepphoria. And wait for the attack of Sultan Saladin Ayubi. But one of the chiefs was constantly forcing for... ...moving to Al-Hattin and
fighting the enemy. This chief was the same old enemy of Saladin Ayubi, Raynald of Chatillon. When Emir Ayubi was going to Al-Hattin after ending the siege of Al-Karak... ...at that time Raynald had come out of
the fort with his army... ...and joined King Guy's army and reached Sepphoris. Now he was putting pressure on
the Crusader king... ... for moving from Sepphoris to Al-Hattin for attacking Saladin. Raymond, the ruler of Tripoli, on the other hand, was asking King Guy... ...not to leave Sepphoris
as this place was safe. That the war can be fought
well by staying here. However, the "Lusignan King" eventually ignored Raymond's advice and ...agreed with Raynald of Chatillon. On July 3, 1187... ...the Crusaders took a large reservoir
of water with them... and started their journey from Sepphoris to Al-Hattin. Soon after the journey, the heat of the sun started to show its effect. A major problem with
the Crusaders was... ...that most of the soldiers wore heavy armour and thick iron war clad. These steel uniforms began to heat up in the July sun. The soldiers got saturated with sweat and drank water in droves. In no time they ran out of water. Then it happened the Crusaders got into a pathetic condition. On the other, Saladin separated a part of his cavalry... ...from the rest of the army and sent them to attack the enemy. These soldiers would shoot arrows at the Crusaders from a distance... ...or make a surprise attack
on a troop and escape. By the time they reached Al-Hattin, these attacks, heat and thirst... ...had decimated the Crusaders' morale. The soldiers were restive for a respite and to drink cold water. In the evening when the Crusaders encamped near Al-Hattin... ...the voice of water and water began to rise from every tent. Raymond, Crusader ruler, whose advice was ignored and the army was advanced... ...was helplessly wandering around the camp on horseback. And he was saying loudly, Alas! Alas! Lord God, The war is over... ...we have been killed, the kingdom is over, Alas! Alas! Ironically, even the Ayyubid army did not let the Crusaders sleep at night. They were not even allowed to rest. The Muslim horsemen continuously moved around the enemy's camp... ...and raised the Takbeer slogans. As night fell pitch dark,
the Ayyubid soldiers... ...set fire to the bushes around
the Crusader camps. The heat and smoke of fire made the night of the Crusaders absolutely sleepless. Their thirst also increased
many times more. Now when the morning of July 4 came... ...the Crusaders were by no means
able to fight... ...while Saladin Ayubi stood ready before them with his whole army. They had been prepared in
a systematic way that... ...every soldier had all the required weapons. But there were 470 carriage animals
apart from the army. Horses, mules and camels etc. They were also loaded with
a large cache of weapons... ...so that no soldier would run out
of weapons... On the day of the attack, the Sultan waited for the sun to rise. ...so that the day should become warmer. The Crusaders were still
not single-minded... ...as to when attack or what their
next move would be. Meanwhile, when the sun began to throw fire on the thirsty Crusaders... ...the Ayyubid army attacked them. First of all, the archers rushed forward... ...and fired such a volley of arrows
at the enemy... ...that hundreds of Crusaders got perished in the first assault. After that, the cavalry of
both sides clashed. But a surprising thing happened
on this occasion. That the foot crusader refused to fight. These thirsty soldiers gathered on a hill... ...and conveyed to King Guy that they were dying of thirst and could not fight. This hill with the Crusader infantry was soon surrounded by the Muslims. Thousands of Crusaders tried to flee to the Sea of Tiberias... ...and other water sources, but... ...the Ayyubid army crushed them. A large number of Crusaders also surrendered in exchange for water. It wasn't long before the foot soldiers of the Crusader army were wiped out. While the cavalry was also overpowered by the Ayyubid army. Yea, there was King Guy the Lusignan himself, and about 150 knights... ...who were still fighting bravely. The Muslims surrounded them and pushed them towards a hill. King Gey set up tents on this hill in
the form of a circle. In the centre of this circle was the Holy Cross of the Crusaders, the True Cross. The Crusaders were now fighting only for the honour of the True Cross. Sultan had also reached this hill with his experienced soldiers. At a stage, the fierce attack of the knights retreated Muslims to a place... ...where Sultan Ayubi was standing. Seeing this, the complexion of Sultan's face changed. He scratched his beard and
then galloped forward... ...and loudly voiced to the soldiers,
'attack these devils.' The Muslims then pounced on the knights and pushed them to the top of the hill. On this occasion, his son Al-Fazl said,
"We have defeated them." Ayubi replied: 'Be patient till that tent and the Cross they will not be defeated.' After some time, that moment
finally came. A few Ayyubid soldiers pulled out the tent of the King of Jerusalem. The Bishop of Acre who was standing carrying the True Cross was also killed. But the Cross remained safe and came into the hands of the Muslims. The Crusaders had lost the last
motive to fight. The battle of Al-Hattin ended in the name of Saladin Ayubi. The Sultan dismounted the horse and prostrated with wet eyes. Crusader leaders, soldiers, King Guy and Raynald were taken prisoners. Every Muslim soldier had at least
one Crusader. While a soldier tied 30 Crusaders with ropes and brought them to the camp. Among the important Crusader leaders only ruler of Tripoli... ...Raymond was able to flee. Raymond who had advised not to attack... ...also died shortly afterwards. After the battle Guy the Lusignan and Raynold were brought before Emir Saladin. The Sultan offered King Gey a bowl
of cold water. According to Arab customs, food and drink to a prisoner meant... ...giving him peace. The King of Jerusalem knew it. He drank some water and passed
the bowl to Raynald. The hint was that they wanted to save Raynald of Chatillon. But Sultan Saladin immediately said that I did not offer water to Raynald. He has no peace from my side. Then he came before Raynald and
said twice, 'I swore to kill him.' Once when he had intended to attack
our holy cities... and second time when he treacherously robbed our caravan. Then he drew his swords and
beheaded Raynald. At this, King Guy the Lusignan began
to shiver... ...thinking now it is his turn. The Sultan, however, said, "Kings, do not kill kings. Since this man, who had crossed all limits... ...deserved this treatment. Besides Raynald, 200 knights, who were prisoners of war... ...were also killed by the Ayyubid army. King Guy and the rest of the prisoners were sent to a prison in Damascus. It goes that 30,000 Crusaders were killed in the Battle of Al-Hattin. 30,000 Crusaders were done to death. While the Muslims suffered a little loss. How much it was, no information is available in this regard. After the victory, the Muslims celebrated and offered thanksgiving prayers all night. The next day the Ayyubid forces moved to Tiberius fort... ... which was situated nearby. The people of this city had witnessed... ...the Battle of Al-Hattin through
the walls and its outcome. So instead of fighting they immediately surrendered. After that, the Muslim army was divided into many parts and... ...spread throughout the kingdom
of Jerusalem. Within two months, except Tyre and Baitul Maqdis... ... the entire kingdom of Jerusalem was again in possession of the Muslims. No fort or city could resist
for more than a week. Thousands of Muslims imprisoned in these places were also freed. The principal Mosque of Acre, which was made into a church, by Sultan Ayubi... ...was again transformed into a mosque offering Friday prayers. After the Battle of Hattin, when around Jerusalem, Baitul-Maqdis... ...every area was captured by
the Muslims... ...Saladin Ayubi moved towards
this historic holy city. As this was the city the Crusades had been going for over the last century. After the capture of the king
of Jerusalem, it seemed... ...that Jerusalem would be
conquered easily. But it was not the case. As the most difficult geography
of the city... ...and the story of Europeans help you have seen in the first episode. Given it, what was the plan of Sultan Saladin to take away Baitul Maqdis? What was the Sultan's mistake that fell heavily on him? All this will be shown in the eighth episode of The Crusades and Ayyubi. The Crusades began in 1096. This war created centuries of enmity between Muslim and Christian states. Jerusalem, Baitul Maqdis was the center of this war. Click here to watch the entire story from the beginning. Take a tour of the whole universe here... ...and here is the full story of Khalid bin Waleed's attacks on Caesar and Kasra.
