>> once saladin has crushed the crusaders at the battle of hattin, the way to jerusalem is open. >> saladin waited a few days before he moved into the city because he wanted the symbolism of a specific day, that is the 2nd of october, 1187. it happened to be the anniversary of the prophet muhammad's night journey into jerusalem. >> but at the moment that saladin emerges victorious at the battle of the horns of hattin, anyone living in the city of jerusalem must have feared for their lives because throughout the period of the crusades, there had been a number of sieges, battles, and even mass slaughters. so there was definitely fear of retribution and that any transfer of the city from one power to the other would be accompanied by mass bloodshed. >> the classic story is the first crusader of 1099 burst into the city, and they did an astoundingly terrible thing to the muslims. they killed every man, woman, and child in an orgy of destruction.