A good set of memoirs, about a good-ole boy of Salahadin's Syria. He was one of the Kurdish soldiers who were promoted to their level of competence by Nur-eddin, and benefited from the feudal system the Muslims ran in Syria. It is also famous for Usamah's vision of the Franks, especially their childish medicine. There are many similarities between his life and that of a Western gentleman of the same status, either in the West, or the Crusading states. A good antidote to the film "Kingdom of Heaven" a revisionist work. ( )

The Christians were portrayed as ruthless, bloodthirsty, and barbaric

Usamah ibn-Munqidh, a Levantine Muslim who experienced the Crusades, wrote this book of recollections late in his life. Contains first hand accounts of the Crusades, encounters with the European invaders, etc.