Saladin (1138-1193), a Kurdish ruler of Egypt and Syria, is known in the West for his opposition to the forces of the Third Crusade and for his capture of Jerusalem. From about 1130 Zengi, the Turkish atabeg (regent) of Mosul and his son, Nur-ad-Din...

Tariq Ali. The Book of Saladin. London/New York. Verso. 1998. xvi + 367 pages. [pound]17/$23. isbn 1-85984-834-6. Tariq Ali is not only a journalist and filmmaker; he is also an old- fashioned novelist who likes to write large books on important issues...

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Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven, from a screenplay by William Monohan, was reportedly conceived before the invasion of Iraq pitted contemporary Christian soldiers against their Muslim counterparts. Even so, before Iraq, there had been ever-increasing tensions between Christians and Muslims in the wake of 9/11....

Within days of taking power, Saddam Hussein summoned about 400 top officials and announced he had uncovered a plot against the ruling party. The conspirators, he said, were in that very room. As the 42-year-old Saddam coolly puffed on a cigar, names of the supposed...

In the following essay, Humphreys analyzes the political structure under which Saladin operated and discusses the ways in which he adapted this structure and established his authority. Humphreys emphasizes the system of loyalties cultivated by Saladin, and observes that such a system could not be sustained after his death. But overall, the political system that was prevalent during Saladin's reign “gave his immediate successors a framework of attitudes and behavior within which to define thei...

In the following essay, the anonymous critic briefly reviews several nineteenth-century Western histories of the Crusades. The critic observes a lack of a thorough, accurate “Mohammedan history” by a Western writer and demonstrates that such information is available through Arabic sources.

In the following essay, Ehrenkreutz offers an assessment of Saladin's career that focuses on his accomplishments as well as his shortcomings. Ehrenkreutz stresses that he does not, unlike many critics, conjecture about or romanticize Saladin's intentions.

Essay discussing, who is more civilized, Saladin or Richard I, both leaders in the third crusade.