Battle of Jacob's Ford

Jerusalem has been and is considered by many to be one of the holiest cities in the world. For this reason, Christians and Muslims fought for control of the Holy City over several centuries. Around 1095, Christians from Europe marched to the Holy Land to take control of Jerusalem. By 1099, the Crusaders achieved their goal and captured Jerusalem from the Muslims. Although unrest plagued the Holy City after the First Crusade, the Crusaders continually defeated any army that opposed them for many years. Saladin, one of the most well-known figures in Muslim history, was 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 occurred 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.