War and Military Atlas

How Battles Were Fought
Strategy and Doctrine

Encirclement and Denial of Water (Hattin)

Medieval, Ayyubid Sultanate

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At the Battle of Hattin in 1187, Saladin's forces positioned themselves between the marching Frankish army and the Sea of Galilee, forcing the Crusaders to camp overnight on a waterless plateau, then surrounded the exhausted camp so tightly that, in a chronicler's words, a cat could not have escaped, before attacking a force already broken by thirst and encirclement.

Facts
Core Claim
Cut the enemy off from water and its line of march, encircle the resulting camp completely, and let heat, thirst and encirclement break its cohesion before delivering the final attack. 1
Origin Year
1187 1
Cross-Tradition Connections

Developed By

Sources
1. Wikipedia: Battle of Hattin
WikipediaBattle section
Quote, Battle section
The Muslims surrounded the camp so closely that a cat could not have escaped.
View the Source
1. Wikipedia: Battle of Hattin
WikipediaDeveloped By: SaladinView the Source
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