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.