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Secondary sourceSculpture28 March 2023 (photo); statue undated

Saladin Monument in Al-Karak

Petar Milošević · 28 March 2023 (photo); statue undated

A modern bronze equestrian statue honouring Saladin, photographed in Karak, Jordan.

A modern monument shows how Saladin is still honoured as a legendary military and religious leader.

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Bronze equestrian statue of a rider on a rearing horse, photographed from below against a bright blue sky with the sun glowing behind the figure. The rider wears a helmet with a small gold finial and a flowing cloak. The horse's front legs are raised and its mane and tail are visible.
Petar Milošević, photograph of the Saladin monument, Al-Karak, Jordan, 2023.

About this source

What it is

This is a 2023 photograph of a bronze equestrian statue commemorating Saladin, located in the town of Al-Karak, Jordan, near Karak castle. The photo was taken by Petar Milošević.

Why it matters

The statue is a modern memorial, made centuries after Saladin's death, showing how he is still remembered as a hero in the region, especially near a castle linked to the wars between Muslims and Crusaders. It reveals more about how later generations view Saladin than about Saladin himself.

Look closer

  • Why might a modern town choose to build a monument to a medieval ruler?
  • What impression does the pose of the rearing horse and rider create?
  • What does this statue tell us, and what does it leave out, about the real historical Saladin?

This sculpture is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Saladin on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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Bronze dirham coin, obverse, showing a seated figure facing forward, cross-legged, with a rounded face and hands resting on knees, flanked by a high-backed throne. Arabic inscriptions in circular margin around the edge.Artifact

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Dirham of Saladin

AH 586 (AD 1190-91)

Engraving of a mounted figure in a tunic on a pale horse, with a banner-carrying rider behind him and a scroll above reading a proclamation. Soldiers with spears and a tent camp appear on the left, and a walled town on a hill behind. Caption below in print reads that Saladin caused it to be proclaimed that he carried nothing with him to the grave but a shirt.Painting

Secondary source

Saladin Proclaims He Will Take Only a Shirt to His Grave

John Payne · 1639

Exterior of the Saladin Citadel in Cairo at golden hour: thick tan stone walls with round towers and crenellated battlements, with the domed mosque and two slender minarets rising behind on the hilltop. A modern city street with trees and lamp posts lies to the right.Artifact

Primary source

Cairo Citadel

Saladin · begun 1176

Sepia photograph of the Tomb of Saladin in Damascus. A large stone arch spans the left, behind a domed structure with arched windows and a striped-arch window. Ruined walls, a rubble courtyard, and a few people near a ladder stand in front. The caption reads 791 Tombeau de Saladin Damas, with the name Bonfils.Photograph

Secondary source

Tomb of Saladin, Damascus

Medieval manuscript illumination of mounted knights in combat on a grassy field with red-dotted ground. Riders with lances and shields charge; one rider labeled Saladin and another labeled Guy. Red and black Latin text fills the page above.Painting

Secondary source

Saladin Seizing the True Cross from Guy of Lusignan

Matthew Paris

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