Atlas of Battles

siege, landmark, medieval

Conquest of Jerusalem

Conquest of Jerusalem was a siege conducted on 20 September 1187 at Jerusalem, in what is now Israel; it lasted 12 days. It was part of Crusades, which ran from 1095 to 1291. The recorded result: Ayyubid victory.

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Balian of Ibelin surrendering the city of Jerusalem to Saladin.
Balian of Ibelin surrendering the city of Jerusalem to Saladin.. Scanned from Terry Jones and Alan Ereira, Crusades (New York: Facts on File, 1995), 161., Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought20 September 1187lasted 12 days
WhereJerusalem, Israel31.783N, 35.217E
OutcomeAyyubid victory
BelligerentsAyyubid Sultanate of EgyptagainstKingdom of Jerusalem; Knights Hospitaller; Knights Templar; Order of St. Lazarus; Order of Mountjoy; County of Tripoli
Part ofCrusades1095 to 1291

Where it sits in Crusades

First Siege of Arsuf 1099, 1099Battle of Melitene, 1100Battle of the Dog River, 1100Siege of Caesarea Maritima, 1101Siege of Tripoli, 1102Battle of Jaffa, 1102Siege of Acre, 1103Siege of Edessa, 1104Siege of Acre, 1104Battle of Harran, 1104Battle of Akkum, 1108Battle of Turbessel, 1108Siege of Beirut, 1110Battle of Shaizar, 1111Siege of Tyre, 1111Battle of Al-Sannabra, 1113Battle of Sarmin, 1115Battle of Ager Sanguinis, 1119Battle of Hab, 1119Battle of Saruj, 1122Battle of Gerger, 1123Battle of Yibneh, 1123Battle of Manbij, 1124Siege of Aleppo, 1124Battle of Azaz, 1125Battle of Beirut, 1126Battle of al-Atharib, 1130Battle of Ceyhan River, 1130Battle of Rafaniyya, 1133Battle of Qinnasrin, 1135Battle of Tripoli, 1137Battle of Ba'rin, 1137Battle of Teqoa, 1138Siege of Aleppo, 1138Siege of Shaizar, 1138Siege of Edessa, 1144Fall of Saruj, 1145Siege of Edessa, 1146Battle of Inab, 1149Battle of Aintab, 1150Siege of Ascalon, 1153Siege of Paneas, 1157Battle of Lake Huleh, 1157Siege of Shaizar, 1157Battle of Marash, 1161Battle of al-Buqaia, 1163Battle of Harim, 1164Siege of Alexandria, 1167Battle of al-Babein, 1167Siege of Bilbeis, 1168Siege of Damietta, 1169Siege of Gaza, 1170Siege of Ayla, 1171Siege of Alexandria, 1174Battle of Montgisard, 1177Battle of Hama, 1178Battle of Banias, 1179Battle of Marj Ayyun, 1179Battle of Jacob's Ford, 1179Crusader raids on the Red Sea, 1182Battle of Belvoir Castle, 1182Battle of Al-Fule, 1183Siege of Kerak, 1183Battle of Cresson, 1187Siege of Kerak, 1187Siege of Tiberias, 1187Battle of Hattin, 1187Conquest of Jerusalem, 1187Siege of Tyre, 1187Siege of Belvoir Castle, 1187Siege of Laodicea, 1188Siege of Al-Shughur, 1188Siege of Sahyun Castle, 1188Siege of Trapessac, 1188Siege of Safed, 1188Battle of St. Matthew's Day, 1217Battle of Lyndanisse, 1219Battle of Lihula, 1220Battle of Hama, 1230Battle of Trapessac, 1237Battle of the Ice, 1242Siege of Jerusalem, 1244Battle of Forbie, 1244Battle of Jaffa, 1256Fall of Haifa, 1265Fall of Caesarea, 1265Fall of Arsuf, 1265Battle of the Orontes, 1265Siege of Safed, 1266Battle of Al-Ruways, 1266Battle of Wesenberg, 1268Fall of Jaffa, 1268Fall of Beaufort Castle, 1268Siege of Antioch, 1268Fall of Krak des Chevaliers, 1271Fall of Gibelacar, 1271Fall of Montfort Castle, 1271Siege of Margat, 1285Fall of Tripoli, 1289Siege of Acre, 1291Fall of Ruad, 1302Battle of Amorgos, 1312Battle of Adramyttion, 1334Battle of Megara, 1359Battle of Tripoli, 1367Battle of Rudau, 1370Battle of Beirut, 152010991520Conquest of Jerusalem, 1187
107 placed engagements of Crusades in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date20 September 1187
to 2 October 1187
PlaceJerusalem, Israel
31.783N, 35.217E
KindSiege, medieval
Territorial changeJerusalem surrendered and restored to the Muslims
Casualties and losses11,000 Christian citizens enslaved
Commanders
  • Balian of Ibelin
  • Heraclius of Jerusalem
Conquest of JerusalemConquest of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemTel AvivAmmanGaza CityHaifaNablusEl ArishNazarethAl Karak100 km31.783N, 35.217E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Conquest of Jerusalem
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Conquest of Jerusalem today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 802 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 481 to 842 m, 362 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 76% built-up, 12% tree cover, 6% shrubland.

built-up: 76%tree cover: 12%shrubland: 6%grassland: 4%built-up 76%tree cover 12%shrubland 6%grassland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km555 to 819 mnorth to south, 10.0 km665 to 820 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 21 times between 1010 BC and 1967.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1187

Conquest of Jerusalem is one of 438 engagements of the 12th century in the atlas and one of 152 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815161, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Jerusalem (1187), revision 1384264893, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.