The battle of the Ford of Sorrows (Jacob's Ford, 575 AH)
وقعة مخاضة الأحزان وتخريب حصن بيت يعقوب
1179 CE · 575 AH
The Franks built a strong castle by Jacob's Ford near Banias at the 'Ford of Sorrows'; in 575 Saladin, holding Banias, sent out a foraging escort that the Frankish king's whole host fell upon — he raced up, the Muslims were nearly flung from their stands, then broke the Franks: their king escaped alone while Balian 'ibn Barzan' of Ramla and Nablus, his brother of Jubayl, the lord of Tiberias, the masters of the Templars and Hospitallers and the lord of Janin were taken. Ibn Barzan ransomed himself for 150,000 Tyrian dinars and a thousand Muslim captives; the day's work was Izz al-Din Farrukhshah's, who recited al-Mutanabbi's two verses and threw himself on death — then Saladin demolished the fort 1.
At a glance
- Era
- The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
In time
Overview
Ibn al-Athir relates that the Franks built a strong fort at the House of Jacob, in a place known as the Ford of Sorrows (makhadat al-ahzan), near Banias. Salah al-Din stayed at Banias and raided their lands. 1
The battle
In 575 AH the Franks came out with their king against a group of the Muslim army, and Salah al-Din marched with the troops. The Franks fought very fiercely, then they were routed, many of them were killed, and their king escaped. 1
The captives
Many were taken captive, among them Ibn Barzan, lord of Ramla and Nablus, who ransomed himself for a hundred and fifty thousand Tyrian dinars and the release of a thousand Muslim captives. Most of the work on that day was done by Izz al-Din Farrukhshah, the nephew of Salah al-Din. Then Salah al-Din destroyed the fort. 1
Connections
People and things also explored
وقعة حطين· The capture of Shaqif Habs Jaldak (Beaufort, 578 AH)· ملك الفرنج عكا وقتل الأسرى· The Frankish siege of Damietta (564 AH)· The Sicilian assault on Alexandria (569 AH)· The battle of the Sudan between the two palaces· Saladin the Victorious· Saladin: The Conqueror of Jerusalem
Sources
- al-Kamil fi'l-Tarikh of Ibn al-Athir, p. 95-96
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “The battle of the Ford of Sorrows (Jacob's Ford, 575 AH)”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/event/battle-ford-of-sorrows-575/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.