Ṣalāḥ a-Dīn Yūsuf ibn Ayyūb (Arabic: صلاح الدين يوسف ابن أيوب), known in English as Saladin, was a 12th-century Kurd who became Sultan of Egypt and Syria, and a major Muslim political and military leader. At the height of his power the Ayyubid dynasty, which he founded, ruled over Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Hejaz, and Yemen.