Saladin Takes Back the Holy City
HISTORY This Week
The HISTORY® Channel | Back Pocket Studios
4.5 • 4.2K Ratings
🗓️ 19 September 2022
⏱️ 31 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
September 20, 1187. It’s daytime outside the walls of Jerusalem. Saladin, the Sultan of Egypt, ponders his next attack. His troops encircle and lay siege to the city. They vastly outnumber the Crusader knights inside, and Saladin’s on the cusp of a victory he never dreamed possible. He can order his men to attack the city. Killing those who stand in their way and enslaving the rest. But, Saladin has a problem. Balian of Ibelin leads the Crusader defenses within the city walls. He threatens to destroy Muslim holy sites if Saladin attacks. The Sultan must make a choice. One that will impact his legacy, the lives of thousands, and the future of Jerusalem. What does Saladin choose?
Special thanks to our guest, Dr. Suleiman Mourad, Professor of Religion at Smith College and author of Ibn Asakir of Damascus: Champion of Sunni Islam at the Time of the Crusades.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The History Channel, Original Podcast. |
| 0:30.3 | This is one of the best recipes and recipes |
| 0:32.2 | that have been circling the holy city in the shadows |
| 0:34.5 | of its famous seven hills. |
| 0:35.8 | They could hear shouts from inside. |
| 0:37.4 | And when they first approached, |
| 0:39.5 | could see men crowded atop the actual walls. |
| 0:43.5 | Inside Jerusalem are mostly Christians, |
| 0:47.2 | including the descendants of European crusaders, |
| 0:50.8 | who, back in 1099, captured this city themselves. |
| 0:56.4 | In the aftermath of that battle, |
| 0:58.3 | The crusaders slaughtered tens of thousands of people, Muslims and Jews. |
| 1:04.9 | But now they're the ones under siege, at the mercy of Saladin. |
| 1:12.2 | Because as the Sultan sets up camp on the city's north side and surveys its defenses, he |
| 1:17.7 | knows he's going to win. |
| 1:19.7 | His position is too strong. |
| 1:22.0 | And so he has a choice to make. |
| 1:24.4 | But he undermined Jerusalem's foundations and crack its walls and then charge in. |
| 1:30.3 | Those are, after all, the general rules of war in the Middle Ages. |
| 1:34.9 | But that choice is not without its drawbacks. |
| 1:38.8 | Baylion of Ibeline, the knight who's currently in control of Jerusalem, has sent Saladin a |
| 1:44.8 | message. |
... |
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