Zahir al-Din Tughtakin the Atabeg
ظهير الدين طغركين الأتابك
January 1128 CE · Safar 522 AH
Tughtakin the Atabeg, laqab Zahir al-Din, a mamluk of Taj al-Dawla Tutush; on Duqaq's death in 497 AH he took sole power, proclaimed the infant Tultash then ruled outright when the boy fled to Baalbek — he broke the qummus raiding Damascus, took the Ramsa fort of Tripoli, and met the Frankish kings and counts at Marj al-Saffar late in 520, where he was unhorsed but the Turkman foot fought to the death, massacred the Frankish infantry and looted their camp; he died in Safar 522, remembered as just, upright and devoted to jihad, and his son Taj al-Dawla Buri succeeded.
At a glance
- Roles
- Ruler · military-commander
- Era
- The Crusades, Ayyubids and Mamluks
- Region
- Levant & Iraq
- Review
- Draft Completeness 1/5 · Help complete it
Life in time
Overview
Tughtakin the atabeg, whose title was Zahir al-Din, one of the mamluks of Taj al-Dawla Tutush. Ibn Khaldun reports that when Duqaq died in Damascus in the year 497 AH, he took power on his own, and proclaimed the sermon for Tutush's young son, but Tutush fled to Ba'albak and Tughtakin alone ruled 1.
Wars with the Franks
Ibn Khaldun reports that he fought the Franks and defeated the count who raided Damascus, and took the fortress of Ramsa of Tripoli. Then the kings of the Franks and their counts met him at Marj al-Safar at the end of the year 520 AH. He fell from his horse, then fought with the Turkmen foot-soldiers until they killed the Frankish foot-soldiers and plundered their camp 1.
His death
He died in Safar of the year 522 AH. Ibn Khaldun describes him as good in conduct, favouring justice and loving jihad. His son Taj al-Dawla Buri succeeded him 1. See the Burid dynasty.
Connections
- Ruler of
- Burid dynasty (atabegs of Damascus)
- Founder of
- Burid dynasty (atabegs of Damascus)
People and things also explored
Sources
- Kitab al-Ibar of Ibn Khaldun
Cite this page
islam.museum contributors. “Zahir al-Din Tughtakin the Atabeg”. islam.museum, https://islam.museum/en/person/tughtakin-zahir-al-din/. CC BY-SA 4.0. Accessed 2026-10-17.