By 1191 at the height of the Third Crusade, the Souk al-Silaah had become the greatest center of trade in Damascus. A myriad of wide-ranging goods was traded there daily, including oils, perfumes, fruits, bread, vegetables, pottery, and weapons. The lively marketplace at this time was under the oversight of a black arms trader named Tamir who supposedly served Saladin, manufacturing weapons for the Sultan of Egypt and Syria. A powerful man with high expectations of his workers, Tamir dominated the local merchant guild and the market with an iron fist and was known to publicly execute those who defied him.