Mausoleum of Saladin

Mausoleum of Saladin
ضريح صلاح الدين الأيوبي
The entrance to the mausoleum
General information
Type	Mausoleum
Architectural style	Ayyubid, Ottoman
Location	Damascus, Syria
Coordinates	33°30′43.6″N 36°18′21.36″E
Completed	1196
Renovated	1898

The Mausoleum of Saladin holds the resting place and grave of the medieval Muslim Ayyubid Sultan Saladin. It is adjacent to the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, Syria. It was built in 1196, three years after the death of Saladin. In addition to the tomb, the tomb complex included Madrassah al-Aziziah, of which little remains, except a few columns and an internal arch adjacent to the renovated tomb.

The mausoleum presently houses two sarcophagi: one made of wood, said to contain Saladin's remains, and one made of marble, was built in homage to Saladin in late nineteenth century by Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and was later restored by German emperor Wilhelm II. Along with a marble sarcophagus, a golden ornate gilt bronze wreath was also put on the marble sarcophagus, which was later removed by either Faisal I or Lawrence of Arabia, who later deposited it in the Imperial War Museum.

Gallery

• 
  c. 1900: the marble sarcophagus built by Ottoman Sultan Abdulhamid II and later restored by Wilhelm II
• 
  Entrance to Saladin's Mausoleum, 2019
• 
  Saladin's original tomb, 2019
• 
  Courtyard of Saladin's Mausoleum, 2019
• 
  Mausoleum walls with tiles added in Ottoman era.

Bibliography

• Mannheim, Ivan (2001). Syria & Lebanon Handbook: The Travel Guide. Footprint Travel Guides. ISBN 978-1-900949-90-3.
• Berney, K. A.; Ring, Trudy (1996). International dictionary of historic places: Middle East and Africa, Volume 4. Taylor & Francis. ISBN 978-1-884964-03-9.
  • Man, John (2015). Saladin: The Life, the Legend and the Islamic Empire. Random House. ISBN 978-1-473508-54-5.