In 2017, ISIS (Daesh) had recently destroyed historic sites in Palmyra and Mosul, claiming the Crusades were a justification for modern jihadism. Meanwhile, Saudi and Emirati leaders wanted to use Saladin as a symbol of moderate, tolerant Islam. The film became a political football—too hot to handle when Qatar was accused of backing Islamists. The cancellation was never just about money; it was about regional power struggles.
Istanbul, 2017 – In an era where the lines between entertainment and geopolitical identity blur with every frame, a towering figure from the Crusades rode back onto the silver screen. But this time, he wasn’t speaking English-accented Arabic, nor was he a supporting character in a Richard the Lionheart drama. He was the star. saladin film 2017
The film was simply called Saladin (or Kudüs Fatihi Selahaddin Eyyubi in Turkish). Conceived as Turkey’s answer to Braveheart and Kingdom of Heaven, the 2017 production was more than a historical epic; it was a statement of cultural and political resurgence. In 2017, ISIS (Daesh) had recently destroyed historic
Saladin premiered in Istanbul’s Atatürk Cultural Center on November 17, 2017. The red carpet was a parade of AK Party politicians and religious leaders. President Erdoğan sent a congratulatory message: “Our youth will learn honor from this film.” The cancellation was never just about money; it
The film itself ran 2 hours and 40 minutes. It opened with a breathtaking aerial shot of a Bedouin caravan crossing the desert, then cut to a siege engine crashing against the walls of Kerak. The score, a thunderous mix of Anatolian drums and a full orchestra, never let up.
Critics were divided. The Hürriyet Daily News praised its cinematography but called it “predictable as a sermon.” The audience, however, wept and cheered. In the final act, Saladin enters Jerusalem not with slaughter but with a bowl of rosewater, washing the steps of the Dome of the Rock. A captured Crusader asks, “Why show mercy?” Saladin (Güneş) replies, “Because a kingdom built on fear is a kingdom of sand.”
The film dramatizes the life and military career of Salah ad-Din Yusuf ibn Ayyub (Saladin), the 12th-century Kurdish Muslim leader who founded the Ayyubid dynasty and recaptured Jerusalem from the Crusaders in 1187. It focuses on political strategy, military campaigns, and Saladin’s relationships with allies and rivals in the Muslim world and with Crusader states.