Was Saladin a Kurd or Arab?
Saladin (1137–1193) was a Kurd, not an Arab, by ethnicity. The standard treatment of the question is in Malcolm Lyons and D. E. P. Jackson’s Saladin: The Politics of the Holy War (1982), and the question is treated at greater length in the Arabic-language scholarship that I have consulted in part. He was born in Tikrit, in modern Iraq, into a Kurdish family of military and political importance. His father, Najm ad-Din Ayyub, was a Kurd from the town of Dvin in the Armenian Highlands, and his uncle, Asad ad-Din Shirkuh, was also a Kurd. The family had long been associated with the Kurdish military and political elite of the region, and they had served the Zengid dynasty of Aleppo and Mosul. Saladin is widely celebrated in the modern Kurdish nationalist movement as a great Kurdish hero, and his image has been used in various political contexts. The Kurdish reading and the Arab reading of Saladin are not mutually exclusive, and the discussion below is offered with appropriate humility about what the medieval sources can and cannot tell us.
For the broader context, see the main article on Saladin, how Saladin died, and the Saladin’s conquest of Jerusalem.
The Historical Evidence
The historical evidence for Saladin’s Kurdish identity is clear and unambiguous. The contemporary Muslim sources, including the biographies of Saladin by Baha ad-Din ibn Shaddad and Imad ad-Din al-Isfahani, describe him as a Kurd. The Ayyubid dynasty that he founded was a Kurdish dynasty, and his relatives and successors were also Kurds. The Kurdish identity of Saladin is not in doubt.
The Kurdish identity of Saladin is also confirmed by his family name. Saladin’s full name was Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub, which means “Righteousness of the Faith, Joseph, son of Ayyub.” The name Ayyub is a Kurdish name, and the family traced its origins to the Kurdish town of Dvin, in what is now the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The family had been part of the Kurdish military elite for several generations, and they had a long tradition of service to the Zengid dynasty.
The Kurdish identity of Saladin is also confirmed by the geographical distribution of his family. His father, Najm ad-Din Ayyub, had served the Zengid dynasty in Tikrit, and his uncle, Asad ad-Din Shirkuh, had been a military commander in the region. The family had migrated to Syria in the 1140s, and they had established themselves as members of the military and political elite of the region.
The Distinction Between Kurd and Arab
The distinction between Kurd and Arab in the 12th century was not always as clear-cut as it is today. In the 12th century, the term “Arab” was often used to refer to anyone who spoke Arabic and was part of the Arabic-speaking world, including many people who would now be considered ethnically non-Arab. The term “Kurd,” by contrast, was used to refer to the non-Arabic-speaking peoples of the mountainous regions of the Middle East.
The distinction between Kurd and Arab in Saladin’s time was, in this sense, more cultural and linguistic than ethnic. Saladin’s family was Kurdish by ethnicity, but they were part of the Arabic-speaking Islamic world. They spoke Kurdish at home, but they were educated in Arabic and they were fluent in the language. They were part of the Sunni Islamic religious tradition, and they identified with the Arabic Islamic civilization.
The distinction between Kurd and Arab has been a matter of considerable debate in modern times. Some modern writers have argued that Saladin was essentially an Arab, because he was part of the Arabic-speaking world and he identified with the Islamic civilization. Others have argued that he was essentially a Kurd, because he was of Kurdish ethnicity and his family was from a Kurdish region. The truth is that the categories of “Kurd” and “Arab” in the 12th century were not as clear-cut as they are today.
Saladin in Kurdish Nationalism
Saladin’s Kurdish identity has been an important issue in the development of modern Kurdish nationalism. The Kurdish nationalist movement has used Saladin as a symbol of Kurdish cultural and political achievement, and his image has been used in various political contexts. The most famous example is the Kurdish flag, which features a golden sun with 21 rays, and which has been used by the Kurdish nationalist movement since the early 20th century.
The use of Saladin as a symbol of Kurdish nationalism has been controversial. Some Kurdish nationalists have claimed that Saladin was a great Kurdish hero who fought for the liberation of the Muslim world. Others have been more cautious, arguing that Saladin’s primary identity was as a Muslim and as a member of the Islamic civilization, and that his Kurdish ethnicity was only one aspect of his identity. The debate has been an important part of the development of Kurdish nationalism.
The use of Saladin in Kurdish nationalism is also significant for the modern political situation in the Middle East. The Kurdish people are the largest ethnic group in the world without a state of their own, and the struggle for Kurdish self-determination has been one of the most important political issues in the modern Middle East. The image of Saladin as a great Kurdish leader has been a powerful symbol in this struggle, and it has helped to raise awareness of Kurdish history and culture.
Saladin in Arab and Muslim Identity
Saladin is also celebrated in the Arab and Muslim world as a great hero. The figure of Saladin has been invoked in various political contexts, especially in the struggle against Western colonialism and in the cause of Palestinian self-determination. The image of Saladin as a chivalrous and religious leader has been a powerful symbol in the modern Muslim world, and it has helped to create a sense of Muslim unity.
The celebration of Saladin in the Arab and Muslim world is not in conflict with his Kurdish identity. The categories of “Kurd” and “Arab” in the modern Muslim world are not mutually exclusive, and many Muslims identify with both their ethnic heritage and their broader religious and cultural identity. Saladin, in this sense, can be claimed by both Kurdish and Arab nationalists without conflict.
Modern scholarship has paid particular attention to the construction of Saladin’s identity. Hannes Möhring’s work on Saladin and the Third Crusade, and Emmanuel Sivan’s study of the Muslim concept of jihad against the Crusaders, have helped to clarify the complex relationship between Kurdish ethnicity, Arab identity, and Islamic religion in Saladin’s world.
The Saladin Tomb in Damascus
The tomb of Saladin is in Damascus, near the Umayyad Mosque. The tomb was originally built by Saladin’s son al-Afdal, and it has been a major shrine in the Muslim world ever since. The tomb was restored in the 19th century, and it is now a major tourist attraction.
The tomb is significant for several reasons. It is a reminder of Saladin’s enduring importance in the Muslim world, and it is a major symbol of the Muslim response to the Crusades. The tomb is also a reminder of the multicultural nature of the medieval Muslim world, and it reflects the complex identity of Saladin as a Kurd, a Muslim, and a member of the Arabic-speaking civilization.
The tomb is visited by Muslims from all over the world, and it is a major destination for Kurdish pilgrims. The tomb is a powerful symbol of Kurdish heritage, and it is a major source of pride for the Kurdish people. The tomb is also a reminder of the shared heritage of the Muslim world, and it is a symbol of the unity of the Muslim community in the face of external challenges.
Saladin was a Kurd, by ethnicity, but he was also part of the broader Arabic-speaking Islamic civilization. The distinction between Kurd and Arab in the 12th century was not as clear-cut as it is today, and Saladin’s identity was shaped by multiple factors. Modern works on Saladin’s identity include the studies by Hannes Möhring and by Emmanuel Sivan, which provide detailed and balanced accounts of Saladin’s complex identity.
The celebration of Saladin in both Kurdish and Arab nationalism is a reminder of the complex identity of the modern Middle East. The categories of “Kurd” and “Arab” are not mutually exclusive, and many people in the modern Middle East identify with both their ethnic heritage and their broader religious and cultural identity. Saladin, in this sense, is a powerful symbol of the multicultural nature of the medieval Muslim world and of the complex identity of the modern Middle East.