Saladin

Salah ad-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūbi, 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. Alnaser Saladin Al-Ayyoubi, Ayyoub’s son, took charge of the Sultanate of Egypt and the Levant and their armies in 570 AH ( 1175 AD). Thirteen years later, in 583 AH (1187 AD) Arab armies under the leadership of SALADIN conquered and liberated Jerusalem from the armies that called themselves Crusaders but were known as Franks by the natives of the region. Our story takes place between these two dates. This action-packed tale, told in dance, drama, music, and film, explores the actions, intrigues, and emotions of these two vast armies as they are poised for war and the historic climax of the gathering storm of war.

The historical and political events and intrigues become increasingly tangled, until the lines of distinction are blurred between the aggressor and the victim between those who hold fast to their values and ideals, and those who abandon them for personal gain… …between savagery and human dignity and chivalry.

In these troubled, desperate times SALADIN, the human, the leader, the noble warrior, the Sultan stands head and shoulders above his fellows and his enemies, whose histories attest to the nobility of this great man. He ignited a fire in the heart of his people, which has burned through the ages, inspiring Arab history ever since. Even his enemies have testified of him; a truly remarkable man and leader of men whose deeds and ideals have echoed through the literature of the West from the days of the songs of wandering Troubadours until today.