On July 4, 1187, Saladin destroyed the Crusader army at the Horns of Hattin, a twin-peaked volcanic hill west of the Sea of Galilee. The battle was the turning point of the Crusader period. Within three months, Saladin had taken Jerusalem. Within a century, the Crusaders were gone from the Holy Land entirely. And it all happened on a sun-scorched hillside where the Crusaders ran out of water.
The Battle
King Guy of Lusignan led the entire Crusader army, some 20,000 men, across the waterless hills of the lower Galilee in the July heat to relieve the besieged city of Tiberias. Saladin, who understood the terrain better than anyone, positioned his forces between the Crusaders and the lake, cutting them off from water. By the time the Crusaders reached the Horns of Hattin, they were exhausted, dehydrated, and surrounded.
Saladin set fire to the dry brush upwind of the Crusader camp. The smoke, the heat, and the thirst broke the Crusader army. The battle was a massacre. King Guy was captured. The True Cross, the Crusaders’ most sacred relic, was lost. And the Kingdom of Jerusalem, which had lasted 88 years, was effectively finished.
The Site Today
The Horns of Hattin are visible from multiple points in the lower Galilee. The twin peaks of the hill, formed by an ancient volcanic eruption, are unmistakable. A short hike to the summit offers views of the Sea of Galilee to the east and the Galilee hills in every direction. The tomb of Nabi Shu’eib, the Druze holy site associated with the prophet Jethro, sits at the base of the hill.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
The Battle of Hattin is one of the most important events in Crusader history. Hoshen Tours tells the story on the ground where it happened, connecting it to Tiberias, Akko, and the broader Crusader narrative.