PART THREEThe Battle Of Hattin, The Conquest of Jerusalem and The Third CrusadeCHAPTER I: The Battle of HattinSalah ad-Deen was able to form a united Islamic front covering a vast area, but the Crusader control of some Syrian coastal cities, in addition to the fortresses of Kerak and Crac de Montreal, represented a tough obstacle in the way of communication between the two main axes of his state, which included Egypt and most of Greater Syria, and part of Iraq. In addition to that, these cities and coastal ports were of great strategic importance because control of them enabled the Crusaders to remain in constant contact with their motherlands in Western Europe.Hence from the beginning of his rule, Salah ad-Deen was very keen to raid these regions; his interest therein also dated back to the days of his viziership in the Fatimid state. In fact, Salah ad-Deen had inflicted heavy losses on the Crusaders in terms of lives and weaponry as a result of the raids that he organized against the cities of the Syrian coast, which prompted the Crusaders — it seems — to think of reducing the pressure on those areas by distracting Salah ad-Deen from them, which they thought to accomplish by raiding the coast of the Red Sea. In addition, they took advantage of their presence in that area to threaten the Islamic holy places so as to strike at Islam in its holiest sites. Nevertheless, events were moving swiftly in Salah ad-Deen's favour.