 Saladin went to Alexandria in 1171 – 72 and found himself facing the dilemma of having many supporters in the city , but little money . A family council was held there by the Ayyubid emirs of Egypt where it was decided that al @-@ Muzaffar Taqi al @-@ Din Umar , Saladin 's nephew , would launch an expedition against the coastal region of Barqa ( Cyrenaica ) west of Egypt with a force of 500 cavalry . In order to justify the raid , a letter was sent to the Bedouin tribes of Barqa , rebuking them for their robberies of travelers and ordering them to pay the alms @-@ tax ( zakat ) . The latter was to be collected from their livestock . 
