Founded Cairo 1SE (less overlap with Domyat and Alexandria), and founded a super city in Aswan (has almost all the resources there except for the gems), then filled in the middle later on with Asyut. Switched to theocracy, then later to persecution. Getting the horse hooked up near Aqaba is crucial also.
Sent the Berber cavalry to raid rebel cities for workers (1 from Jerusalem, 1 from Damascus, 2 from Madinah). These help build roads to Mekkah and back to Madinah.
Agree completely with an earlier post--need to raze every single city in the Levant except for Damascus. In fact, I made a crucial mistake in capturing Jerusalem first, thinking I can raze it--NOT! This made my battle against KoJ a lot harder than it should have been.
Just razed Antioch and Homus in time for PoA not to spawn.
As soon as 1st UHV kicks in, switch to persecution, and churn out Shia missionaries and religious persecutors to kick Judaism, Orthodoxy and Catholicism out from Egypt and the Levant. Refounded cities in the Levant. Made 30% Shia in 1190 or so. Big cities are much better than a bunch of small cities.
Here's my 2nd mistake: my stack had to take the long route to Baghdad because the Zengids did not OB (should have declared war on the Byzantines while they were still at war with the Zengids). I find that the Abbasids have collapsed, and as I was about to take the city, THEY RESPAWN!!
And capitulating them does NOT make you Commander of the Faithful. In fact, as I was about to capture their last city, he called a jihad on me! Lost a city to the Seljuks, but thankfully I was able to defend against the Zengids, Turks before I won by collapsing the Abbasids.
(Cairo can build a triply promoted Berber cavalry in 1 turn, and it is the best unit because of their much larger distance traveled per turn, Lancers were useless here.)