Statue of Saladin
| Statue of Saladin
Native name: تمثال صلاح الدين الأيوبي
|
|
|---|---|
 Statue of Saladin in front of the Citadel of Damascus
|
|
| Location: | In front of the Citadel of Damascus |
| Country: | Damascus, Syria |
| Governing body: | Municipality of Damascus |
| Construction | |
| Inaugurated: | 1993 |
| Architect: | Abdallah al-Sayed |
| Architectural style(s): | Oversize equestrian bronze statue |
| Map | |
The Statue of Saladin (Arabic: تمثال صلاح الدين الأيوبي) is an oversize equestrian bronze statue depicting the Kurdish[1][2] Ayyubid Sultan Saladin located in front of the Citadel of Damascus in Damascus, Syria. The statue, designed by Syrian sculptor Abdallah al-Sayed and erected at municipal expense, was unveiled by the late Syrian president Hafez Assad in 1993 to mark the 800th anniversary of Saladin's death.[3]
[edit] Description
The statue, in the main plaza of the city, depicts Saladin in the same pose and the same dress as he appears in a number of nineteenth-century Western depictions of the Crusades. To either side of Saladin's horse stand two foot soldiers and a Sufi. Behind the horse kneel two crusaders, Guy of Lusignan and Raynald of Châtillon. According to the sculptor, Saladin appears not as an individual warrior but as a leader embodying a wave of popular feeling against the Franks. The Sufi represents the simple religion of the people, the foot soldier represents the humble people all united with their hero under the banner of Islam.[3]
[edit] References
- ^ "Encyclopedia of World Biography on Saladin". http://www.bookrags.com/biography/saladin/. Retrieved 2008-08-20.
- ^ The medieval historian Ibn Athir relates a passage from another commander: "...both you and Saladin are Kurds and you will not let power pass into the hands of the Turks." Minorsky (1957):[page needed].
- ^ a b Pagden, Anthony (2008). Worlds at War. Oxford University Press US. pp. 196–197. ISBN 0199237433, 9780199237432.
Coordinates: 33°30′42.3″N 36°18′2.1″E / 33.51175°N 36.300583°E
