Saladin (Sultan) (Civ6)

"When Allah decides a matter, it is done."

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Saladin

Al-Nasir Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (1137 – 4 March 1193), better known as Saladin, was the first sultan of Egypt and Syria and the founder of the Ayyubid dynasty, known for his defeat of the various Crusader states, particularly his victory at the battle of Hattin and capture of the Kingdom of Jerusalem in 1187, successfully re-establishing Muslim control over the Levant after the Third Crusade. He leads the Arabs in Civilization VI.

Defeating opponents with either military or Religion is at the heart of playing with Sultan Saladin.

This is one of Saladin's two alternate personas, the other being Vizier Saladin.

Intro[]

The marriage of science and religion is a delicate balancing act, but one that you have mastered, Saladin. Your quest for knowledge is noble, and your people have a deep respect for you. But you need not rush into the unknown. Given time, the answers to life's most puzzling questions will find their way back to Arabia.

In-Game[]

Saladin's unique agenda is Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He likes civilizations who have founded a religion but not brought it to one of his cities, and dislikes those that bring their religion to his cities.

His leader ability is The Victorious. It doubles Flanking and Support bonuses for all his military and religious units.

Detailed Approach[]

Being guaranteed a Great Prophet allows Sultan Saladin a chance to build up his military until his free Great Prophet arrives. After the Great Prophet is received, go forth spreading Arabia’s Religion and military across the map. The Mamluk will be an asset in conquering faraway civilizations with its ability to heal every turn. The Madrasa will help you unlock stronger military units while also allowing the purchase of more Apostles. Arabia under the Sultan Saladin’s leadership is great for either Domination or Religious Victories.

Lines[]

Saladin is voiced by Alhan Gharam. He speaks Classical Arabic.

Voiced[]

Unvoiced[]

Delegation: I have sent a delegation to you with gifts from our empire. They bring the sweetest fruit, rare snow to cool you on even the hottest day, and the most excellent of horses. Please receive them as our courtesy.
[Note: According to Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad, on several occasions Saladin sent Richard the Lionheart fruit and snow at his request.^[6][7]]

Accepts Delegation from Player: A thousand thanks for your gifts. Your delegation will be treated with the utmost respect.

Rejects Delegation from Player: No, we cannot accept.

Player Accepts a Delegation: Excellent!

Accepts Player's Declaration of Friendship: I understand now that you are a friend to my nation. Let us declare our friendship to the world.

Rejects Player's Declaration of Friendship: Your offer is a generous and kind one, but we must humbly decline until we can be assured of your intentions.

Trade Deal Accepted: May Allah bless you.

Denounced by Player: Everyone is critical of the flaws of others, but blind to their own.
[Note: This is an Arabic proverb.^[8]]

Denounces Player: It is said by my people that the house of a tyrant is a ruin...and all I see is ruin around you.
[Note: "The house of a tyrant is a ruin" is an Arabic proverb.^[9]]

Too Many Troops Near His Border: I would be blind not to see your army in front of me. Please, move them from our borders, unless... you anticipate war?

Invitation to Capital: Come, let us exchange information about our capitals. I invite you to tell me of your people, and I am happy to tell you of mine.

Invitation to City: I am honored to offer you the hospitality of our cities: the finest arts, the most delectable feasts, and the melodious adhan heard throughout. Would you care to visit?

Civilopedia entry[]

Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, known to his foes (and there were many) as Saladin, was a Kurdish noble who rose to command the Arabic armies of the Faithful as the first sultan of Egypt and Syria. Born in Tikrit around 1138 AD, his personal name was Yusuf, but his given name was a laqab; “Salah ad-Din” translates loosely as “Righteousness of the Faith.” And righteous Saladin was, given a military and religious education by his father Najm ad-Din Ayyub, former warden of the fortress at Tikrit. The Ayyub family became embroiled in a feud and was banished from Tikrit – leaving, supposedly, the night Saladin was born – and ending up in Mosul in 1139.

The boy Saladin proved quite bright, and continued his education in Damascus (for which he developed a particular fondness) when his father was appointed commander of the fortress at Baalbek by Imad ad-Din Zengi, atabeg (loosely, “governor”) of Mosul, Damascus, Aleppo and Hama. Saladin was especially good at arithmetic and mathematics, immersing himself in the works of Euclid and in the Almagest. He could cite the genealogies and histories of Arab nobility, as well as the bloodlines of famed Arabian horses (the latter probably less useful than the former). And he could quote the Hamasah, a ten-volume collection of Arabic poetry, at length. But, almost inevitably, he was sucked into the military career expected of him by his family, which included his maternal grandfather Nūr ad-Dīn, who had succeeded Imad as emir of Syria in service to the Seljuk Empire.

Saladin’s military service began at the age of 26 under the patronage of his uncle Asad ad-Dīn Shīrkūh, an influential general in service to Nur al-Din. In a campaign against Crusaders and the Egyptian usurper Dirgham at the behest of the Fatimid caliph al-Adid, Saladin distinguished himself in the sack of Bilbais and at a battle near the Nile west of Giza, where he led the right wing. Proceeding to Alexandria, Saladin entered the city unopposed and, in fact, was welcomed with open arms – and money, arms, supplies. Faced with a superior advancing Crusader-Egyptian force, Asad, being wise, withdrew with the bulk of his army, leaving Saladin and a small troop to defend the city. He did so brilliantly.

Things soon got complicated. Asad became embroiled in a three-way power struggle with Shawar, the vizier of Egypt for the crumbling Fatimid caliphate, who called upon the Crusader King Amalric I of Jerusalem for support. In 1169, Shawar was assassinated (reportedly by Saladin), and then Asad al-Din Shirkuh died later that same year. Although Nur ad-Din chose a replacement – who was not Saladin – for Asad, the Fatimid caliph decided for unknown reasons to appoint Saladin the new vizier of Egypt. In the next few months, Saladin avoided an assassination attempt by resentful Egyptian officials, and decisively put down a revolt by Fatimid regiments. So decisively, in fact, that he never again faced an uprising in Egypt.

According to Arabic historians, in June 1171 Saladin was “ordered” to reestablish the Abbasid caliphate in Egypt by Nur ad-Din. When al-Adid died, and after Saladin had a few of his officials executed or assassinated, Egypt was firmly under his control. While passing time until the next bump in his fortunes, Saladin outmaneuvered the Templars and sacked Gaza, captured the Crusader castle at Eilat which had been annoying Muslin shipping in the Gulf of Aqaba, and smashed a Nubian invasion, taking the Nubian town of Ibrim. While transporting some of the plunder to Nur al-Din in Damascus as a gift – including “an ass of the finest breed” (showing Saladin’s horse sense) – he took the opportunity to ravage the Crusader holdings. Oh, and he occupied Yemen, driving out the unbelievers lingering there.

Upon Nur al-Din’s death in May 1174, Saladin promptly proclaimed the establishment of the Ayyubid dynasty in Egypt … with himself as sultan, naturally. Although Nur al-Din’s 11-year-old son had been proclaimed successor as caliph by a group of powerful emirs, Saladin feared anarchy in Syria, and with that the prospering of the infidels. But he faced an untenable choice: seize Syria for himself from the young as-Salih Ismail, forbidden by the Qur'an, or await an unlikely invitation to invade. In sha’Allah, when as-Salih was spirited away to Aleppo by an ambitious uncle who planned to eliminate all his rivals, the emir of Damascus was forced to appeal to Saladin for support.

It was the hand of destiny at work; Saladin raced across the intervening desert with 700 picked warriors and, joined by emirs and Bedouin tribesmen, he entered Damascus to general acclaim by its citizens (no fools they). Leaving one of his brothers in charge there, Saladin soon reduced other cities that had been loyal to the former caliph. The next year was eventful, with Saladin managing to avoid several assassination attempts (including a couple by the Ismaili sect named the “Assassins”). In the end, the surviving emirs of Syria recognized a good thing and proclaimed Saladin sultan there as well as in Egypt. Making peace with the Assassins and other irritants in his empire, all of whom recognized that it would be righteous to kick the Europeans out of the Holy Land, Saladin readied the forces of Islam.

Saladin’s war against the Christians raged until his death in 1193 AD. Marked by a string of Ayyubid victories and the occupation of most of the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem, including the holy city itself in 1187, Saladin became infamous across Europe. The result was the Third Crusade – mounted by England’s Richard the Lionheart, Philip II of France, Frederick Barbarossa, among others – marked more by massacres than battles. By September 1191, the Crusader army had been reduced to about 2000 men-at-arms and 50 knights fit for battle. Richard and Saladin finally came to an agreement, the Treaty of Ramla in 1192, whereby Jerusalem would remain in Muslim control but be open to Christian pilgrimages. The treaty proved Saladin’s most lasting legacy.

Trivia[]

• Sultan Saladin's leader ability references the 1963 Egyptian film about his life, while his leader agenda are his titles.
• At the release of Great Negotiators Pack all of Sultan Saladin's subtitles for voiced lines (except his Civilopedia quote) were the default lines that exist for a modded civilization leader that has no custom dialogue lines. This was fixed in the December 2022 Update.
• Hung on Saladin's sash is a golden jambiya, a ceremonial dagger commonly worn by men in some Islamic cultures.
• This persona represents Saladin after 1175, when he proclaimed himself as Sultan of Egypt and Syria and founded the Ayyubid dynasty.
• Saladin's release in Civilization VI marks the fourth time he has led the Arabs in the Civilization franchise (including both Civilization Revolution games). He was slated to appear in Civilization II until the Arabs were dummied out of the game, and also appeared in Civilization V: Gods & Kings as the Ayyubid leader in the Into the Renaissance scenario.
• Saladin had a direct relationship with one other leader in Civilization VI: he and Frederick Barbarossa were enemies and would have fought each other during the Third Crusade had Frederick not perished on the way.

Gallery[]

Saladin (Sultan) on the loading screen

A bust of Saladin (which appears to have inspired his in-game model)

Videos[]

Related achievements[]

Arabian Knights Conquer a city with a Mamluk A pun on the collection of stories, 1001 Arabian Nights.

Sultan of Egypt Win a regular game as Saladin Saladin was the founder of the Ayyubid Dynasty, which ruled over Egypt, Syria, upper Mesopotamia, the Hejaz, Yemen, and parts of North Africa.

References[]

See also[]

• Saladin in other games

Civilization VI Leaders [edit]
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1 Requires DLC Added in the Rise and Fall expansion pack. Added in the Gathering Storm expansion pack.