Atlas of Battles

siege, major, medieval

Siege of Jerusalem

Siege of Jerusalem was a siege conducted on 15 July 1244 at Jerusalem, in what is now Israel. It was part of Crusades, which ran from 1095 to 1291. The recorded result: Ayyubid victory. Recorded strength: 10,000 against Unknown.

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Towers and bridges during Friedrich's siege of Jerusalem, 1244
Towers and bridges during Friedrich's siege of Jerusalem, 1244. Matthijs Pool, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought15 July 1244
WhereJerusalem, Israel31.783N, 35.217E
OutcomeAyyubid victory
Belligerents22px Ayyubid Sultanateagainstborder|22px Kingdom of Jerusalem
Casualties and lossesUnknownandUnknown
Part ofCrusades1095 to 1291

Where it sits in Crusades

First Siege of Arsuf 1099, 1099Battle of Melitene, 1100Battle of the Dog River, 1100Siege of Caesarea Maritima, 1101Siege of Tripoli, 1102Battle of Jaffa, 1102Siege of Acre, 1103Siege of Edessa, 1104Siege of Acre, 1104Battle of Harran, 1104Battle of Akkum, 1108Battle of Turbessel, 1108Siege of Beirut, 1110Battle of Shaizar, 1111Siege of Tyre, 1111Seljuk campaign on Edessa, 11121113–1115 Balearic Islands expedition, 1113Battle of Al-Sannabra, 1113Battle of Sarmin, 1115Battle of Ager Sanguinis, 1119Battle of Hab, 1119Battle of Saruj, 1122Battle of Gerger, 1123Battle of Yibneh, 1123Battle of Manbij, 1124Siege of Aleppo, 1124Battle of Azaz, 1125Battle of Beirut, 1126Battle of al-Atharib, 1130Battle of Ceyhan River, 1130Battle of Rafaniyya, 1133Battle of Qinnasrin, 1135Zengid campaign against Antioch, 1135Battle of Tripoli, 1137Battle of Ba'rin, 1137Battle of Teqoa, 1138Siege of Aleppo, 1138Siege of Shaizar, 1138Siege of Edessa, 1144Fall of Saruj, 1145Siege of Edessa, 1146Battle of Inab, 1149Battle of Aintab, 1150Siege of Ascalon, 1153Siege of Paneas, 1157Battle of Lake Huleh, 1157Siege of Shaizar, 1157Battle of Marash, 1161Crusader invasions of Egypt, 1163Battle of al-Buqaia, 1163Battle of Harim, 1164Siege of Gaza, 1170Siege of Ayla, 1171Siege of Alexandria, 1174Battle of Montgisard, 1177Battle of Hama, 1178Battle of Banias, 1179Battle of Marj Ayyun, 1179Battle of Jacob's Ford, 1179Attack on Acre, 1179Crusader raids on the Red Sea, 1182Battle of Belvoir Castle, 1182Battle of Al-Fule, 1183Siege of Kerak, 1183Battle of Cresson, 1187Siege of Kerak, 1187Siege of Tiberias, 1187Battle of Hattin, 1187Conquest of Jerusalem, 1187Siege of Tyre, 1187Siege of Belvoir Castle, 1187Siege of Laodicea, 1188Siege of Al-Shughur, 1188Siege of Sahyun Castle, 1188Siege of Trapessac, 1188Siege of Safed, 1188Albigensian Crusade, 1209Battle of Hama, 1230Battle of Trapessac, 1237Siege of Jerusalem, 1244Battle of Forbie, 1244Battle of Jaffa, 1256Fall of Haifa, 1265Fall of Caesarea, 1265Fall of Arsuf, 1265Battle of the Orontes, 1265Siege of Safed, 1266Battle of Al-Ruways, 1266Fall of Jaffa, 1268Fall of Beaufort Castle, 1268Siege of Antioch, 1268Fall of Krak des Chevaliers, 1271Fall of Gibelacar, 1271Fall of Montfort Castle, 1271Siege of Margat, 1285Fall of Tripoli, 1289Siege of Acre, 1291Fall of Ruad, 1302Battle of Amorgos, 1312Battle of Chios, 1319Battle of Adramyttion, 1334Battle of Tripoli, 1367Battle of Beirut, 152010991520Siege of Jerusalem, 1244
103 placed engagements of Crusades in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date15 July 1244
PlaceJerusalem, Israel
31.783N, 35.217E
KindSiege, medieval
Territorial changeMuslim capture of Jerusalem
Strength10,000Unknown
Casualties and lossesUnknownUnknown; 6,000 Christian civilians massacred at the Tower of David, 300 escaped to Jaffa
Commanders
  • As-Salih Ayyub
Siege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSasanian conquest of JerusalemSiege of JebusSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemSiege of JerusalemTel AvivAmmanGaza CityHaifaNablusEl ArishNazarethAl Karak100 km31.783N, 35.217E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Jerusalem
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 25 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Jerusalem today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2025-08-19. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2025.

The recorded site stands at about 802 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from 481 to 842 m, 362 m of relief, hilly country and today it is 76% built-up, 12% tree cover, 6% shrubland.

built-up: 76%tree cover: 12%shrubland: 6%grassland: 4%built-up 76%tree cover 12%shrubland 6%grassland 4%
west to east, 10.0 km555 to 819 mnorth to south, 10.0 km665 to 820 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 24 times between 1010 BC and 1967.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1244

Siege of Jerusalem is one of 629 engagements of the 13th century in the atlas and one of 179 in present-day Israel.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q3849563, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Jerusalem (1244), revision 1372557997, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.