Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah
In French sources, Gerard is sometimes known as "Gérard" (sometimes "Pierre-Gérard") "de Martigues" due to a tradition of his place of birth being Martigues, Provence. However, William of Tyre, writing in the late 12th century, cites Amalfi as Gerard's birthplace. This is not implausible, as merchants from Amalfi were involved in the reconstruction of the hospice in Jerusalem in the 1020s, after its destruction in 1005 under caliph Al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah.