Mausoleum of Saladin

The Mausoleum of Saladin holds the resting place and grave of the medieval Muslim Ayyubid Sultan Saladin. It is adjacent to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria.^[1] It was built in 1196, three years after the death of Saladin.^[2] In addition to the tomb, the tomb complex included Madrassah al-Aziziah, of which little remains, except a few columns and an internal arch adjacent to the renovated tomb.^[3]

The mausoleum presently houses two sarcophagi: one made of wood, said to contain Saladin's remains, and one made of marble, was built in homage to Saladin in late nineteenth century by Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and was later restored by German emperor Wilhelm II.^[4][5] Along with a marble sarcophagus, a golden ornate gilt bronze wreath was also put on the marble sarcophagus, which was later removed by either Faisal I or Lawrence of Arabia, who later deposited it in the Imperial War Museum.^[3]

Saladin, also known as Selahedîn, was a famous leader in the history of the Middle East. He was a powerful and respected ruler who lived during the time of the Crusades, which were a series of wars between Christian kingdoms in Europe and Muslim territories in the Middle East.^[6]

Gallery

• 
  c. 1900: the marble sarcophagus built by Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and later restored by Wilhelm II^[7]
• 
  Entrance to Saladin's Mausoleum, 2019
• 
  Saladin's original tomb, 2019
• 
  Courtyard of Saladin's Mausoleum, 2019
• 
  Mausoleum walls with tiles added in Ottoman era.

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mausoleum of Saladin.

• v
• t
• e