Ayyubid dynasty

The Ayyubid dynasty ( ; ) was a Muslim dynasty of Kurdish origin, founded by Saladin and centered in Egypt. The dynasty ruled much of the Middle East during the 12th and 13th centuries CE. Saladin had been the vizier of Fatimid Egypt before he brought an end to Fatimid rule in 1171. In 1174, he proclaimed himself Sultan following the death of the Ayyubids' former master, Zengid sultan Nur al-Din. The Ayyubids spent the next decade launching conquests throughout the region and by 1183, the territories under their control included Egypt, Syria, northern Mesopotamia, Hejaz, Yemen, and the North African coast up to the borders of modern-day Tunisia. Most of the Kingdom of Jerusalem fell to Saladin after his victory at the Battle of Hattin in 1187. However, the Crusaders regained control of Palestine's coastline in the 1190s.