October 2, 1187
Muslim leader Saladin captures Jerusalem from the crusaders after a siege that began September 20.
Saladin, the sultan of Egypt and founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, seized control in Syria in 1174 after the death of its ruler, Nur al-Din, and began to pose a challenge to the crusaders who were in Syria and the Land of Israel. In 1187, with 12,000 horsemen, he began his offensive, capturing Tiberias and Hattin before Jerusalem.
After the victory in Jerusalem, Saladin’s advances are halted. He eventually signs a treaty with English King Richard the Lionheart to divide the Land of Israel between the crusaders, who hold the coastal region, and the Ayyubids, who control Jerusalem and the interior.
Unlike the crusaders, who had barred Jews from living in Jerusalem, Saladin is tolerant toward his Jewish subjects and welcomes them back into Jerusalem in 1190.
Fordham University has a description of the siege and battle as part of its Internet Medieval Source Book.
