Note on Arabic Translations; Abbreviations; Introduction: Courtly Gifts, Imperial Rewards; 1. “Baghdad is to Cities what the Master is to Mankind”: The Rise of Vizier Culture; 2. The Sovereign and the Foreign: Creating Saladin in Arabic Literature of the Counter-Crusade; 3. Alfonso X: Poetry of Miracles and Domination; 4. Saladino Rinato: Spanish and Italian Courtly Fictions of Crusade; Conclusion: The Ministry of Culture; Bibliography.