Saladin's Forgotten Fleet: The Naval Campaign of 1179

In 1179, Saladin launched a naval campaign against the Crusader states that is rarely mentioned in the popular story of his wars. This episode digs into that forgotten fleet: the ships built in Egyptian and Syrian ports, the raids on Acre and Sidon, and the burning of a Frankish squadron near the mouth of the Nile. We explore why Saladin, a Kurdish general known for cavalry and siegecraft, bothered with a navy at all — and why his admirals, like Husam al-Din Lulu, barely appear in our sources. We also trace the political context: the fragile truce with Baldwin IV, the rivalry with the Zengids in the north, and the logistical miracle of assembling a fleet while fighting on two fronts. Along the way, we consider what the naval campaign tells us about Saladin's strategic vision — and why it ultimately failed. If you've only heard of Hattin and Jerusalem, this episode fills in a crucial gap, showing that the sultan's ambitions reached beyond the desert to the sea. #Saladin #NavalHistory #Crusades #Ayyubid #BaldwinIV #Acre #Sidon #Nile #MedievalWarfare #ForgottenHistory #TwelfthCentury #Egypt #Syria #Frankish #Hattin #History #FexingoHistory #MiddleEast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo