MYTHICAL VS FORGOTTEN IMAGE: COMPARISON OF MEDIEVAL CHRISTIAN AND MUSLIM SOURCES ABOUT THE IMAGE OF SALADIN

Abstract

Medieval Christian sources provide reliable data about the Christian world during the Crusades. But, if we consider Christian sources about the Muslim world, the prominent historical figure of the Crusades was Saladin. Medieval Christian sources describe the Sultan as the main enemy of the Crusaders and uniquely describe him; for instance, Abbot Joachim showed Saladin as the sixth head of the great red dragon, the only one to wear a crown, and is labeled “Sdadinus.” Despite this, most Christian rulers respected Saladin for his courage, compassion, and intelligence. In medieval Christian sources, the capture of Jerusalem in 1187 is highlighted as the main feat of the Sultan. However, Professor Beben’s, Gibb’s, and Cobb’s work presents a different image of Saladin illustrated in medieval Muslim sources. Investigating a large amount of medieval data, historians have concluded that the Crusades were perceived differently in the Middle Ages Christian and Muslim worlds, which depleted the scanty amount of data about Saladin’s capture of Jerusalem in 1187 Muslim sources. Another, required to consider mutual antipathy between Sunni Syria, Shiite Iraq, and Fatmid Egypt, was ended by Saladin, as a consequence of which he was praised in Muslim sources. The unification of the Muslim world under one flag was a phenomenal achievement, so Muslim authors concentrated their attention on this rather than the wars that took place in the Western borders.