The Arab World Institute in Paris is currently featuring an original exhibition on the cultural life and times of a major 12th century figure, Salahuddin Ayyubi (1138-1193), known in the West as Saladin. The legendary warrior, ruler and patron of the arts left an indelible mark on medieval history.
As the influence of Andalusia and the Baghdad Caliphate waned, Saladin’s empire, based in Egypt and Syria and enlarged by the conquest of Jerusalem in 1187, grew inexorably and carried the torch of Arab culture and civilization to the beginning of the 13th century.
Saladin was born to a distinguished Kurdish family in the Mesopotamian town of Takrit, now in northern Iraq, in 1137. His father was an officer and governor loyal to the Seljuk Turks, rulers of large parts of the Middle East at the time. Saladin received a fine education and was known for his piety and religious feelings. As he grew to adulthood, Saladin became increasingly devoted to the idea of holy war that dominated the court of Nuruddin, the Mesopotamian ruler who soon took the fervent young warrior under his wing. After conquering Aleppo and Damascus, Nuruddin entrusted Saladin with a key mission to Egypt in 1168. The Fatimite Caliph of Egypt had requested the help of Syria’s powerful army to defend Cairo from the Crusaders. Saladin and the Syrian forces soon vanquished the Western invaders and the young commander was rewarded with a third of Egypt and the title of vizir of Egypt.
The elderly Egyptian caliph, however, feared Saladin’s power, and quietly encouraged a revolt. In 1169, 50,000 Nubian soldiers of the caliph’s personal guard marched on the Syrian camp. Saladin responded swiftly by ordering the guard’s family quarters to be burned. The caliph’s forces retreated in a frantic effort to save their families but thousands of women and children perished. The shock of this incident was so great that it led to the eventual assassination of the Egyptian caliph in 1171 when Saladin became the undisputed ruler of Egypt.
The year 1174 saw the deaths of both Nuruddin and the Crusader king of Jerusalem, each of whom left his realm to a young son. Saladin’s good fortune held; the political chaos in Syria was such that he was called to establish order there. In November 1174, Saladin and his troops marched victoriously into Damascus. He spent the following years consolidating his power in Egypt, Syria, Nubia and Yemen, and became widely known as the defender of Islam. His next goal was Palestine and the holy city of Jerusalem, held by the Crusaders since 1099. Saladin launched an attack on the coastal city of Ashkelon, but was bitterly defeated. The Battle of Hattin in July 1187 gave Saladin his first victory in Palestine. In this hellish confrontation, 30,000 Christian soldiers were killed and the Crusader king was taken prisoner. Three months of strategic battles brought Saladin and his army to the gates of Jerusalem which he entered on Oct. 2, 1187. Faithful to his tradition of clemency to his enemies, Saladin showed respect for the city’s Christian and Jewish communities who were allowed to worship in peace.
A hero in life, Saladin quickly became a legend after his death in 1193. The valiant and pious conqueror came to symbolize the unity of Islam and the far-reaching influence of Arab culture. His emblematic status in the history of the Middle East is as inescapable as that of Charlemagne or Napoleon in Europe.
Saladin’s charisma inspired unprecedented artistic, intellectual and scientific advances during his reign. The struggle to win back the Holy Land from the Crusaders brought about the construction of a line of fortresses that changed the face of the Middle East. The citadels of Damascus, Aleppo and Cairo are prime examples of Saladin’s military architecture. The Arab World Institute’s exhibit features decorative elements of secular architecture, such as carved stone windows and wooden mashrabiyya. Highly ornamented pistols, as well as an authentic chain mail suit, which are on display, show the development of weaponry at the time.
Among the most impressive of the exhibit’s 250 items, most lent from Egyptian and Syrian museums, are the glass, ceramic and metal pieces. The "knights’ goblet" of enameled and gilded glass dates from mid-13th century Syria, and shows that the Ayyubid dynasty, founded by Saladin, continued to produce impressive artistic creations long after the warrior’s death. Brightly painted and glazed ceramic plates and cups from the 12th to the 20th centuries recall scenes from the life of Saladin. Splendid silver-encrusted bronze vessels and platters illustrate religious themes from both Islamic and Christian sources.
The exhibit has several medieval illuminated manuscripts of inestimable value, such as the "History of Outremer" of William of Tyre. Some manuscripts chronicle the battles and other events of the period from the European or the Arab point of view. Others speak of philosophical or religious themes or document technical developments. Elaborate scientific instruments combine scientific advances and artistic beauty. Many items are being exhibited for the first time in France.
"Saladin and the Art of the Ayyubids" continues until March 10 at Paris’ Arab World Institute. Various publications are available, including books for children and a videocassette of the exhibit. Four debates on related subjects featuring noted French and Middle Eastern writers and researchers are being held at the institute as well as art and games workshops for young people. More information is available on the Arab World Institute’s website: www.imarabe.org/accueil_v4.html.
