The year is 1186; the Franks hold Jerusalem and several other cities in Palestine.  The great Sultan, Salah al-Din, ruler of Egypt, occupies Damascus and other Syrian towns, and has just begun to attack Mosul in northern Iraq.
 It is a dry hot morning in Acre, with winds blowing gently westward. Adhan, call to prayer goes out, starting with Allāhu Akbar "God is The Greatest". As you walk down the dusty streets to the mosque, you have the strangest feeling that yesterday was the last mundane day of your life and what lies ahead is only great exploits and terrible danger…