The worst offender was Reynald of Châtillon, who, having given up the title of Prince of Antioch, was now lord of Kerak and remained a dominant political figure in the Christian states. In 1183 Reynald took a flotilla on a looting expedition along the eastern coast of the Red Sea and into the Hijaz—the most holy province of Arabia—inciting rumors that he intended to invade Mecca and Medina and steal the body of Muhammad.
