This contribution aims to shed light on the way in which the historical figure of Saladin was perceived and used in the constructing of national identity in Iraq and Kurdistan. First, an overview is needed of how the memory of the historical Saladin was (re)constructed through cultural, literary, and political translations. Starting with the origins and evolution of Saladin’s reputation in the West, this essay subsequently explains how this Western portrayal made its way back to the Middle East, and with a vengeance. Looking closer then at the earlier personifications of Saladin in the Arab nationalist context and the ways in which his memory was adapted, it will be evident how these culminated in Saddam’s use and incarnation of the medieval sultan in his personality cult. This essay ends with an analysis of how Saladin’s more recent adoption as a hero by opposing groups in post-Saddam Iraq and Kurdistan has seen him evolve from a potent unifying figure to a symbol of continued divisions.