?ala? ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (c. 1138 - March 4; 1193); better known in the Western world as Saladin; was a Kurdish Muslim; who became the first Ayyubid Sultan of Egypt and Syria. He led Islamic opposition to the Franks and other European Crusaders in the Levant. At the height of his power; he ruled over Egypt; Syria; Mesopotamia; Hejaz; and Yemen. He led the Muslims against the Crusaders and eventually recaptured Palestine from the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem after his victory in the Battle of Hattin.