In 1168, the army of Amalric, the Crusader king of Jerusalem, invaded Egypt. The vizier Shawar decided to burn Fustat rather than allow the city to fall into Christian hands. Unfortunately, the Crusaders abandoned their attack, and the fire failed to destroy Fustat. The Fatimids, who ruled the country, were not ecstatic about Shawar’s actions and appointed Salah al-Din (Saladin) as the new vizier of Egypt. In 1171, Salah al-Din overthrew the last Fatimid caliph and became the first Sultan of Egypt, establishing the Ayyubid dynasty. In 1176, Saladin began the construction of the Cairo citadel on a ridge beneath the Mokattam Mountain. The site was difficult to attack and allowed the rulers of Egypt to govern the country with safety until the late 19th century.