Q 01/05

Saladin was born in Tikrit, in which modern country?

A) Turkey

B) Iraq

C) Syria

D) Egypt

Answer · why

B) Iraq

His family were Kurds who had come from near Dvin in Armenia; a governorate around Tikrit is now named after him.

Q 02/05

Saladin founded which ruling house, becoming the first sultan of both Egypt and Syria?

A) Mamluk

B) Fatimid

C) Ayyubid

D) Zengid

Answer · why

C) Ayyubid

It was named after his father, Najm ad-Din Ayyub, and outlived him by only 57 years.

Q 03/05

Saladin's personal name was Yusuf. What does the honorific 'Salah ad-Din' mean?

A) Lion of the Desert Sands

B) Righteousness of the Faith

C) Sword of the Almighty

D) Servant of the Prophet

Answer · why

B) Righteousness of the Faith

It is a laqab, an epithet; Egyptian Shias later punned it into 'Kharab ad-Din', destroyer of religion.

Q 04/05

Saladin is frequently described as the most famous figure in history from which people?

A) The Berbers

B) The Kurds

C) The Turks

D) The Persians

Answer · why

B) The Kurds

He spoke Kurdish and Arabic and knew Turkish and Persian.

Q 05/05

Under which uncle, a mercenary commander, did Saladin's military career begin?

A) Shirkuh

B) Nur ad-Din

C) Turan-Shah

D) Zengi

Answer · why

A) Shirkuh

They were sent to Egypt in 1164 to restore the vizier Shawar; Shirkuh died in 1169 and Saladin took his place.