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Salahaddin Al Ayyubi was born in the city of Tikrit. His family, who were originally Kurdish nobles from the Caucasus, were forced to flee from their homeland following a Turkish raid against their village. He quickly rose to prominence and established an empire which included Libya, Tunisia, Egypt, Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Kurdistan, Sudan, Mecca/Medina and Yemen. This period we can perhaps call the Kurdish golden age, where Kurds came to dominate most of the Middle East.
Salahaddin’s army consisted primarily of Kurds with minorities of Turkmen and Arabs. The descendants of Ayyubi Kurdish soldiers and noblemen are many particularly in the countries of Egypt, Syria, Palestine and they carry the surname ‘Al Kurdi’. The Ayyubid period was really a turning point in Kurdish history.
Kurds became known as notorious fighters across the world during the Ayyubid period. Amongst the Europeans and Crusaders, Kurds became known for their chivalry in the way they conquered Jerusalem and spared its Christian inhabitants, amongst the Muslim world as elite warriors and amongst the Mongols as formidable opponents.
The Ayyubid eagle is still today visible in the national symbols of Egypt, Syria, Iraq and Kurdistan. The Ayyubid flag, which was yellow, has been adopted by the Kurdish YPG/SDF forces.
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