Jacob's Ford, Battle of
Years: 1179 - 1179
Jerusalem has been and is considered by several religions to be a holy city.
For this reason, Christians and Muslims have fought over several centuries for its control.
Around 1095, Christians from Europe had marched to the Holy Land to retake control of Jerusalem.
By 1099, the Crusaders had achieved their goal and captured Jerusalem from the Muslims.
Although unrest had plagued the Holy City after the First Crusade, the Crusaders had continually defeated any army that opposed them for many years.
Saladin, one of the most well-known figures in Muslim history, is able to recapture Jerusalem in 1187 after almost a century of Christian rule.
Many scholars believe that the Islamic takeover of the Holy City can be accredited to the Muslim victory over the Crusaders at Jacob's Ford in Syria, which occurs in 1179 between Muslim sultan Saladin and Christian king Baldwin IV.
The site is also known by the Latin name of Vadum Iacob and in modern Hebrew as Ateret.
