Salahuddin Yusuf bin Ayyub was a Muslim general and sultan of Egypt and Syria. He was born in 1138 in Tikrit, Iraq and died in 1193 in Damascus, Syria. He served Nuruddin Zangi and showed his military abilities against the Crusaders. In 1171 he conquered Egypt and united it with the Abbasid Caliphate. He then conquered Damascus in 1174 and other cities, gaining strength. In 1187 he attacked the Kingdom of Jerusalem and gained control of the city. With his conquests he founded the Ayyubid Dynasty and reclaimed Muslim lands from the Crusaders.